Pokémon Brick Bronze: An Admin Story (Discontinued)

by JReddSSBU

(A retelling of PBB in my own eyes) Join Nifty Weaka on an adventure to become a Team Valor member and explore Roria! With his best friends, Sonic, Jake and Tess, they shall do many stuff to save the world! (Jake X Tess) (Rated T for mild content) (Told mostly through my OC's eyes) (Co-written/suggested with sonic14612 & xJustinx) (Discontinued)

26. Anthian Arc 2: Golden Poke Ball

The second part of the Anthian City arc has arrived! Today's episode, the adventure in the large hotel: The Golden Poke Ball! :D

As promised, I'll make sure action comes into this story. Well, mainly near the end, just to get the grooves of Pokémon battles back in. ;)

Anyways, here's the chapter. I hope you enjoy!

---

Boy, our new hotel room looks a LOT better than when we first purchased it. Dang, I'm glad to have gotten that paint.

The cream color was what most of the rooms had in terms of the wall's color. I looked over to one room across, and there was the dark brown as the color. At least the brown doesn't look too ugly, in my own honest opinion.

And also on the bright side, most of the important stuff we bought were already set up. I was relieved we wouldn't have to do that.

I turn back to the door, and I saw John Litt, along with a couple other people (most presumably other people who work at the shop), bringing in four boxes.

"Extra stuff is in here! Enjoy your new room! Decorate it to your own personal liking!" John cheered.

All of us gathered around the boxes that were brought in.

"So, now we decorate our rooms, right?" Jake assumed.

"I mean, we bought it for a reason." Tess teased.

"Let's get to it." I suggested. The others nod, and so we each took time looking in each of the boxes to figure out which one has our specific stuff.

Once we did, we headed to the higher part of our room, and find the four separate bedrooms.

I look over each bedroom to see which one had the red color I bought. Once I did, I went inside and closed the door.

Though it was an eyesore with the color, at least I bought a lamp to let some light in for once.

Way different from windows, but I'll take that chance.

First and foremost, I set the lamp on a night table, which was right next to my bed. Similar to how my old room was back at home.

And now that I got that out of the way, I spent my time putting the extras on. So, to bring the home mood in some more, I placed the red rug in the middle of the room.

Then there were two of these glowing crystals. As expected, they're also red. I put each of them on each side of the door. They even glow in the dark!

Now, that is freaking cool.

Just like the others, I also bought a large table, with drawers built into it. So then I at least have something to keep my clothes in.

So I did just that. Every pair of clothing I took with me, I put a different amount in each of the three long drawers.

And I made sure that nothing was overfilled, either. That could get ugly quickly if it happened...

"Alrighty, there we go. That oughta take care of that." I said to myself after everything was put away.

I then reached into my bag, pulling out my sketchbook. I turn a couple pages to look at one of the sketches I made.

"Yeah, they definitely have to see this." I thought. Then I put the sketchbook on my bed, after all that time it's been crammed in my bag.

I walked to the door, about to leave. And then, Rotom comes in.

"Hey, Nifty! Bzzt! How izzz the room working out for you?" He asked.

"Heh, take a good luck." I answered. Rotom floated around the room, taking it all in. He must be analyzing it, or something along putting the surroundings as data so he doesn't forget.

I just smirk as I look at Rotom enjoying the view.

"Pretty cool, huh?" I said.

"Juzzzt as good azzz the others', bzzt!" Rotom complimented.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," I exclaimed abruptly, "I should check out the others to see how their rooms look."

"They're really good, Nifty! You should look at them!" Rotom cheered. I just chuckled at Rotom's enthusiasm.

The 'Dex follows me as I leave my new bedroom, and I made sure to close the door on my way out.

I decided to see Sonic's room first. Luckily, his room was across from mine, but it's still a little walk from here to there.

Fortunately, it didn't take too long.

"Hey, Nifty!" Sonic greeted as he stood outside the door.

"Wazzup, bro." I chuckled.

"I just finished decorating my room. What do you think?" Sonic asked, gesturing for me to come inside. I nod, and then step inside the room.

My feet step onto the carpeted floor, and what really made this room stand out is, of course, the blue walls.

Sonic made his room as closely resembled to his room back at his house in Mitis Town. And I really gotta hand it to him; it looks dope.

It had a similar layout, but the carpeted floor was more tannish instead of gray. But it didn't bother any of us. But everything else, plus some extras, was just how I remember it.

So, there was the bed. It was a little larger, but it still had a blue blanket. And most of the posters that Sonic had at his old home were there, too. And some new ones.

There was a couple desks. One of which was large, and had built-in drawers. And Sonic's Switch was on said desk, currently plugged into the AC adapter.

"Dude, this room is so freaking cool," I complimented, "Not only did you make it very close to home, but with all the extras and such, it makes it look better!"

"Aw, thanks, Nifty." Sonic giggled.

"Anytime." I replied.

"If only I came along with you guyzzz to view the difference! But I didn't want to leave the otherzzz hanging!" Rotom cried.

"You did the right thing." Sonic insisted.

"Oh, and speaking of which, we should check out how the other rooms look. Jake and Tess must've did a great job with their style of decorating, too." I suggested.

"Yeah, let's go see what they did!" Sonic said excitedly. And we walk along, and Rotom follows us.

"Is your room similar to your home, too, Nifty?" Sonic questioned.

"Eh, so-so. But not by much. You gotta see it for yourself." I answered. But I decided to save that for later.

Across from where we were at were the other two bedrooms. I could tell that Jake's was on the left, and Tess's was on the right was because they had the doors open, and the color of the walls were visible.

Sonic, Rotom and I checked out Jake's room first. Wooden floor, and the dark grey walls. But he was still putting in some stuff.

Eh, I expect nothing less from him. Best to let him take his time,

"Ah, here's what I have so far, guys! But I'm not done yet!" Jake exclaimed. We only peek to see what Jake has in store.

As usual: one bed, and one desk with drawers. There wasn't any posters, but Jake did have a photo frame on the desk, and the photo had him, plus me and Sonic. You know, back when we were children.

Also, there were a couple plants around. Well, that really sets it apart.

Still really good. No doubt about it.

"It looks nice, Jake." Sonic said.

"Thanks, but it's almost done. I'll show you later!" Jake insisted.

"Well, all of us look forward to it." I chuckled.

"Yep! We're excited to zzzeee the final product!" Rotom added. He, Sonic and I looked at each other, and nodded, coming to an agreement to leave Jake to decorating on his own.

And last but not least, Tess's room.

As we stop by the door, I see she was putting one last thing in her room. It was a photo frame, but a little smaller than Jake's.

"There. All done." Tess sighed, relieved that the decorating is done. She turned around to see the three of us standing there, and she smiled.

"Come on in, guys!" She insisted. We agreed to her statement, and check out the room.

As usual, there's the bed and the desk. The bed has a green blanket, which I must assume would be to match her clothing.

Like me, she had another desk that had drawers included, but it was more wider. So there were four drawers instead of three.

I turn to see the photo Tess put on the smaller desk. And Rotom, being the curious Pokémon-mixed-Pokédex-currently, wanted to check it out too.

The photo had Tess and her grandfather, at the lighthouse in Rosecove City. While her grandpa looked the same, Tess looked... way younger in this one. About when she was around... seven years old? Maybe eight?

In the photo, Tess still had her purple hair. But she didn't have her heat. And her clothing there consisted of a purple unzipped hoodie, and a white t-shirt. Plus a black skirt, and green sneakers. She had a wide smile on her face, and she was holding a plushie of an Eevee.

"Tess, bzzt, you look way different in this photo." Rotom complimented.

"Oh, Rotom. It's rude to be snooping in others' rooms, you know." Tess teased while smirking, and crossing her arms.

"AHH! I wazzz juzzzt curiouzzz!" Rotom yelled, and started zipping around constantly. Tess just giggles.

"Relax, I'm not gonna lay a hand on you." She said. Rotom finally stopped, and he floats back to me and Sonic.

"So, what do you think, boys?" Tess asked us.

"Really good." I said.

"You outdone yourself, Tess." Sonic complimented.

"Aww. I appreciate it, Sonic." Tess chuckled.

"Well, I must say... we all did a good job of decorating our new rooms." I said.

"Yep!" Sonic replied. I walked out of Tess's room, then head downstairs to the middle of the room, where I can see almost all the entrances from a distance.

Soon enough, the others joined me.

"Ha ha, finally all done!" Jake said, relieved.

"What's the plan now, guys? Now that we're done with decorating?" Tess asked.

"Well," I responded, "I did bring my Switch with me. I'm going to set it up to the TV down here. Then, we should go food shopping, now that everything's put away. Then..."

"We should explore the whole hotel!" Sonic insisted.

"Heck yeah! Now we're talking!" I cheered.

"Bzzt! Totally!" Rotom added.

"Sounds perfect." Tess said. And we all nodded, liking that idea that we had. I walk up to the TV, then pull my Switch out from my bag.

And since I took the dock and cables with me, it took a while to hook all this up. After about 4 minutes, it finally works.

I then took an extra minute to place the GameCube adapter, and an extra USB cable so I can charge my pro controller.

Then it was finally done. Soon, I met up with the others so we can go food shopping. Better to heat things up and cook rather than going out every time!

Geez, it's like we're becoming full-on adults. And we're only sixteen! Well, minus Rotom. But still, I like where this is heading!

This is such a neat adult-like experience, minus the credit card.

---

*about 10 minutes later...*

After about 10 minutes that we've been at the store, we all enter our apartment again, where we each held two bags in our hands.

Again, excluding Rotom, since he cannot hold bags. Well, I mean, he could, but he most likely would drop them. So Rotom is just floating above us as usual.

"Well, bzzt, you guys sure bought a lot!" Rotom stated.

"We need as much as we can to survive." I said. Everyone else chuckled at my statement. Yeah, it was said in a joking kinda way, but it is true.

"And we'll need to save our money for some other stuff." Sonic added. Yeah, that's true. Even though we have this large apartment that we now live in, we're still on our adventure, and have to obtain our goals.

"Right, but for now, let's put all of this away so it doesn't go bad." Tess suggested. And we all take even more minutes to put all of the food in their respective places.

Even though we did buy a decent amount of anything that we liked, organizing them to put them in the right place wasn't too hard, nor should it be.

About another five minutes, we finally finish with that.

"Done and done." I said proudly, placing my hands on my hips.

"Phew! Now we're all done with adjusting to our new apartment." Jake sighed.

"Yeah, the lady did say this condominium was special, unlike other rooms." Sonic reminded. I shrug my shoulders.

"I doubt this could be the only one. I could imagine there would at least be one or two more like these." I insisted.

"That makes sense, so then others wouldn't feel left out." Sonic replied. But still, it's more expensive.

"Alright, so it's around 5:00 right now. So, what shall we do?" Jake asked.

"You know, we should go explore," Tess suggested, "The Golden Poke Ball is a large building, after all. And from what I've heard, there's much more to be found here."

"Oh, count me in! Way better than just being cooped up in this room for the rest of the day." I exclaimed.

"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea, Tess!" Jake complimented.

"Aw, thanks, Jake." Tess said.

"Oh, uh... y-yeah, no problem." Jake stuttered, his face turning a little red. I smirked. I think it's time I gave him some tips.

"Where should we start?" Sonic asked.

"Well, let's go back to the main lobby. They must have a lot of other places here, and we wouldn't want to get lost." Tess explained.

"Oh, wait for us by the elevator. I wanna talk with Jake in private first." I said.

"Okay, Nifty." Sonic responded. He and Tess then walked to the elevator. Jake looked at me, confused.

I gestured him to follow me, so he did. We were now at a corner in the living room, but far away so Tess and Sonic don't eavesdrop on us.

"What's up, Nifty?" Jake asked. My smirk grows wider, and I could tell Jake was getting more nervous.

"You have a crush on Tess, don't you?" I questioned. Jake was shocked, that his whole face was a bright red.

"Wha-?! N-No! I-I..." Jake stammered.

"Relax, dude. I ain't gonna tease you. I already knew it since I saw that look on your face back in Rosecove." I chuckled.

"O-Oh. Uh... sorry for hiding it..." Jake apologized, looking ashamed.

"It's fine, Jake. Plus, teasing isn't what I want to happen." I replied, giving a "don't worry about it" gesture. Jake got even more confused.

"Oh, then... why?" He questioned.

"You see, Jake, I want you to get together with Tess," I explained, "And before you ask... bro, you are, like, the perfect match for her. I've seen you try to compliment her at times, and it's usually good."

"Y-You really believe in me?" Jake started smiling as he asked that.

"I always did. But, I notice you're struggling a bit. And that's why I'm gonna help you." I stated.

"Do you have a experience with this, Nifty?" Jake asked.

"Well," I replied, "I am not too good with dates since I never been on one, and I never want to. But, I have been to some dances in high school for the last two years, so I know a trick or two on how to be more comfortable around girls.

"Uh... okay." Jake said, confused by my statement. I only chuckled. Plus, we're childhood friends, so it's obvious I'll support him.

"But anyways, there will be some times you're struggling. Luckily, I'll be there to help ya just a bit. But this is your crush, Jake, so you gotta do most of the work, capiche?" I explained. Jake nodded, still showing his red blush on his face.

"Now... shall we get going? The others are waiting for us." I suggested.

"Oh, r-right!" Jake exclaimed. And we walk to the front entrance, where Sonic, Tess and Rotom were waiting for us.

"What was the curious details, Nifty?" Sonic asked.

"Let's just say... we we may plan to do in this hotel." I responded, showing a smirk.

"Heh, well, all of us certainly are excited, that's for sure." Tess chuckled.

"But where shall we go firzzzt in here?" Rotom questioned.

"They may have a map or something to tour around in this large hotel." Sonic said.

"Oh yeah, places are always like that for new people!" Jake cut in.

"So then, let's head back to the main lobby and see what they got here." I said.

"Ooh, I bet they have a lot of stuff! It's going to be so much fun!" Jake cheered.

"I can't wait!" Sonic giggled. All of us seemed excited as well. As if getting one of the best rooms in an expensive hotel wasn't enough, there's still much for us to check out.

We walk across the hallway and end up in the elevator, where we pressed the button to the main lobby of the Golden Poke Ball.

---

*scene: main lobby*

As soon as the elevator opens, we all walk out at the same time. We weren't really in awe just yet, as this is he one room in the whole hotel we've been to every time.

I see the same lady at the front desk, so I stood in a short line and wait for my turn, while the others stepped aside, looking around.

"Hello, ma'am." I greeted once my turn has arrived. As usual, she smiles at me.

"Ah, how are you enjoying your room so far?" She asked.

"All of us really enjoy it!" I chuckled, excitement in my tone.

"That's wonderful! So, how may I help you today?" The lady questioned, still showing that warm smile.

"Well, we wanna tour the Golden Poke Ball. Is there a map or something we may check out?" I requested.

"Of course!" The woman replied, "Every place inside the Golden Poke Ball is located in this pamphlet. Special events are in here as well, in case you'd like to check it out. And if you have any other questions, be sure to ask me or one of our staff members about anything you have in mind."

"Understood. Thank you very much." I said, giving my most respectful behavior to the lady.

"My absolute pleasure." She replied. And then I leave the line so the next person behind me can go ahead, and I walk to where the rest of the group are.

"So, what's available, Nifty?" Sonic asked.

"Let's check it out." I responded, opening up the pamphlet. It shows little images and descriptions of places that are inside the Golden Poke Ball. All of us gathered around to see what's there.

"Heh, boy, they sure got a lot," I chuckled, "Like any other hotels, they got a bunch of floors and rooms, a restaurant, and indoor pool, an arcade, which I see over there, and... ooh! They even have a spot on the top for watching the stars at night! And they also have a special place for Pokémon battles and trading!"

"Whoa, bzzt! That zzzure izzz a lot to take in!" Rotom exclaimed.

"Holy Arceus, I already like all these descriptions I see there!" Sonic complimented.

"So do I. I've never physically been at the Golden Poke Ball until getting that room with you guys, and..." Tess paused her sentence for a moment. And about a few seconds later, she shows an excited look.

"...Oh my Arceus, I cannot even contain my excitement!" She shouted.

"Right? Ha ha! This is gonna be a nice time to hang out together, Tess!" Jake said.

"Eh? Together?" Tess questioned, looking at jake with a confused expression. Jake got surprised by that, and he stuttered constantly.

"I-I-I mean all five of us! N-Not just u-u-us two, Tess! All five!" He stammered. Everyone had a good laugh by that, including myself.

Still, I'm gonna give this dude some tips.

"Bzzt, so now that we got the map, where should we go firzzzt?" Rotom asked.

"Ya know, I would suggest we check out the arcade. It's right over there." Tess suggested as she pointed to the right, which the arcade entrance was there.

"Awesome! Let's go!" Sonic cheered.

"My plan exactly, my guy." I added. And we all walk over to the arcade, sticking together. There was this one guy with a black shirt and a white hat and sunglasses, who smiled at us.

"The arcade is a fun place to play games and win big prizes." He told us. Well, yeah. This may be one of the best if it's inside one of the best and most priceless hotels.

So, of course, we walked inside. As we were walking, I looked over at Sonic to see how the egg is doing.

Did I notice a little bounce?

---

We were in awe once we enter the arcade. Holy freaking Arceus, I gotta say, this place looks amazing on the inside.

There were these neat colorful decals to make the floor even look wondrous. And the wall was also black, but there were a bunch of neon lights (lined up horizontally and vertically) that were pink that faded to a light blue.

I'm simply amazed at how well done this place really is.

"Whoa! The arcade looks so cool!" Sonic complimented.

"I know, right! It's so awesome!" Jake cheered.

"What do you think, Nifty?" Tess asked as she turns to me.

"Of course it's amazing. I'm speechless." I chuckled.

"Well, we ain't here just to view. Let's go check everything they have here!" Tess insisted. And we all nod at her statement. After all, all of us want to explore everything that Anthian City has to offer.

I wouldn't say that this place is huge, but it definitely looks amazing inside. No doubt about that!

We see this one guy with a blue-striped tank top, black shorts, red shoes and a blue cap, who was standing by three game cabinets that are lined up altogether.

"My friend says that he read online that if you can reach level 50 on Alolan Adventure, the guy at the ticket counter will sell you something special. It's so hard though!" He explained.

"Ooh!" Sonic said in awe.

"Something special, you say?" I questioned.

"I wonder if it's even true..." The guy admitted. Ah, so this reminds me kinda like the ruins, where people said they couldn't even be real.

I mean, if we could find hidden ruins, then I guarantee this special prize will be easy to scout. No questions asked.

There were a few more different games up ahead, some on the left (which we are at), and some on the right. Then there's a small patch of stairs where the ticket counter is, like the guy mentioned.

There were also some tables to the left, and... party decorations? Was there a birthday party recently?

And there was a girl with pink hair and a white dress, who was standing awkwardly, all by herself.

Since this would count as our adventure, we decided to see what was wrong.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked the pink-haired girl.

"All my friends ditched my birthday party after we ate pizza and played games. They must've thought I was lying about the cake." She sighed. We look over at one of the tables, and...

Yeah, there was a birthday cake there. And it wasn't cut up or anything. It was still whole.

Dang...

"Sorry about what happened. Happy birthday, by the way!" Jake replied. The girl nods and lets out a quiet "Thank you".

"What rude friends..." I mumbled.

"Yeah, that is pretty mean of them." Sonic responded. The fact that this place isn't even crowded makes everything feel awkward in itself.

But eh, I guess it must be more crowded at other times of the day.

"Bzzt! Whoa, there's about five different gamezzz in thizzz one room! Incredible!" Rotom complimented.

"Five, huh? As long as passing time works in some way." I said with a shrug.

"Let's go play and see whatever they have!" Jake exclaimed.

"Yeah, let's go!" Sonic cheered. And Tess shared a similar reaction.

"Yas! Let's see what they got here." I chuckled. We walk away from the desk, and in the middle of the room, we could see all different games they had.

We went back to where that guy was, by those three cabinets. Like that person mentioned, the game inside it is Alolan Adventure.

Now, I would say I am kinda experienced with the game. I had in on my phone for about 3 months before I deleted it for two reasons: boredom, and saving storage for other apps.

As any of you may imply, it's a simple concept of a Rowlet flapping across the sky, and you tap your screen to make him fly a little higher before he lies back down. And there are Alolan Exeggutors to stop you from getting a high score.

As simple as that may sound, it's ridiculously hard. I only made it to 30 points in my entire life.

I walked up to the machine on the left. I turn towards the others.

"You guys gotta give this a try." I said with a smirk.

"I'll join!" Sonic insisted, taking the middle cabinet.

"Me too!" Jake added, joining us by playing on the right machine.

"You want a turn later on, Tess?" Sonic asked.

"No thanks. But I'll watch." Tess replied, smiling as she cheers us all on.

So, besides the neon yellow lights on the exterior of the cabinet, there were only two buttons: a start button, and a jump button.

I pressed the start button, and the screen came on, showing the Rowlet flying. And when I pressed start again, the game began, and I quickly hovered to the jump button, and kept on clicking it when I was too low.

I heard the clack of the same buttons from Sonic and Jake. They were already getting hooked onto this. Neato.

Then the Alolan Exeggutors came. Knowing how this game works, I pressed the jump button twice every time I was a perfect height.

Too low, I stop pressing jump. Too high, I press a little faster.

"Darn!" I heard Jake's groan. Boy, that was fast. Though, Sonic and I are natural gamers, so I do expect the two of us to get pretty high.

More flapping. Just more flapping. Yet, my finger didn't feel tired one bit. Yeah, you can't mess with people like us.

After I reached the tenth point, I went a little too low, and the Rowlet ended up hitting the top of the Exeggutor, in which the Rowlet lies on the ground, fainted.

I just smiled as I pulled away. I look over at Sonic, and I see that he stopped a couple seconds earlier than I did.

Jake, Tess and Rotom were impressed.

"Whoa! Nifty, Sonic- bzzt! Great job!" Rotom said.

"Thanks." Sonic replied.

"Dang, you two got pretty far." Tess complimented.

"How do you do it?" Jake asked.

"Let's just say... the two of us are experienced with this game through a mobile app." I told them.

"So, do you plan on coming back to that one? Bzzt?" Rotom asked.

"Maybe. But I don't wanna spend too much time on just the one. Let's give the other games a chance." I reminded.

"Ooh, let's try the Whack-A-Diglett! That one must be really fun!" Jake suggests. So we all head over to the three tables that held the Whack-A-Diglett game.

So, we all came to an agreement on who to let it try. This time, Sonic insisted to watch. And Tess joins in the game this time. Of course, Rotom still stands aside to watch.

I took the middle table, while Tess took the right, and Jake took the left. I grab the hammer sitting on one edge of the table I was at, then I pressed the start button on the front.

I got steady. And I peek over to see Jake and Tess are ready as well. I look at Sonic, and he just smiles and cheers. And Rotom seems to be in a recording position. Yeah, best to save our moments here.

"You guys got this!" Sonic said. I just smirk and wink, then I pay attention back to the game.

There were 9 holes. Four on each side to make a square, and one in the very middle. And about a bunch of Diglett came up from the holes.

I tried to whack as many as I can. Some went by fast, so I didn't have much time to react. But my Arceus, was this still fun. The regular Diglett gave us around 50 points, and the ones I whacked that had special accessories totaled 100 points.

After 45 seconds of that madness, finally this round is done.

"Whew! My arms are a bit tired from whacking all of those Diglett!" Jake giggled as he puts he hammer back.

"Same here, Jake. My arms feel like jelly." Tess added.

"You all did really good though!" Sonic complimented. I grab my tickets from the ticket slider after the game was finished.

"Thanks, man." I said.

"Yeah, we did do great. But Tess did... amazing." Jake sighed dreamily. Okay, as much as I would know Jake loving Tess so much... I took a couple peeks over one time, and I never saw Jake turn around to look at Tess.

But I shrugged it off. This may be the perfect opportunity to help him out, like I talked to him about before.

"Now what do you guyzzz want to try next?" Rotom questioned as he floats back down to us.

"Let's try Po-Skee-Ball, over there." Sonic said as he points to it.

"Alright! Let's give it a try!" Tess cheered. She, along with Sonic and Rotom, got a little head start, but I stayed with Jake for a moment just to give him my best tip.

"So, Jake. I'm gonna give you my best tip for here..." I started.

"Okay." Jake replied as he scoots a little closer to me.

"So, I can see you tried to look over at Tess because you admire her appearance," I chuckled, "Since we're going into the next game, I suggest you try and challenge Tess. To try and get a high score."

"Challenge her?! At Po-Skee-Ball?" Jake exclaimed.

"There's something I like telling myself, Jake," I continued, "If you want something, you gotta earn it. You might get more of her affection whether you win or lose. So, just give it a try."

"Okay, Nifty." Jake sighed. And then we all walked up to the others, who were just talking to each other as they waited.

"...Yeah, I used to play this a lot whenever I went to other arcades like this!" Sonic told Tess. She nods and smiles as her response.

"It's nice to know you always like to have fun, Sonic." Tess commented. Sonic's smile grows wider.

"Hey, Tess! Ready for some Po-Skee-Ball?" Jake yelled abruptly. I chuckle silently and shake my head.

I'll never miss yelling Jake. Heh heh.

"Yeah! I'm ready." Tess said.

"Let's all challenge each other! To see who can get the highest score?" Jake suggested. I smirk. So far, so good.

"Really? Huh." Tess said with a slight shocked look. Then she shows a playful smile.

"Alright, let's give it a try! Hope you're ready for a letdown for whoever gets the lowest score!" She challenged. I shrug my shoulders, and step aside. I'll be the one stepping out for this one.

"Knock yourselves out. Give it your all." I told them.

"Yeah, bzzt! I'll keep a watch of all your scorezzz!" Rotom added.

"Thanks, Rotom." Sonic said. And then he, Jake and Tess walked up to one of the Po-Ske-Ball machines. There was a start button, and they all pressed it.

Soon, 9 small fake Poke Balls rolled over to the ramp. Though, only five were visible on each ramp.

Like any other variant of Po-Skee-Ball at other arcades, it's just how I remember it. The higher the red hole is in which the ball lands inside, then the higher the points are. And there were two neon blue holes. One on the top left, and the other on the top right.

Those ones are worth more points.

Simple concept, I do have to see each one of their playstyles was worth noting. Jake tried to go for the neon blue holes at first, but when he was low on Poke Balls, he resorted to just going for the normal ones. Sonic and Tess were more of the cautious type, and went for the regular holes more.

Of course, they tried going for the blue holes once in a while. But it didn't work out really well. They missed and got the basic 10 points from the lowest hole instead.

Once the three were out of Poke Balls, Rotom's beeping goes off, and alerts us all.

"Okay, bzzt! The scorezzz are in!" The floating 'Dex yells. I looked over at the group, and I do notice their scores there as they got their tickets.

So yeah, I can see why Rotom didn't yells the scores out loud. Since we can all see them on the top of the machines.

Sonic got 160 points, Tess got 125, and Jake got 90. That sure is a reasonable score pair right there.

"Great job, guys. That was fun." Sonic complimented.

"Well, yeah. Even though we didn't catch up to you. It was fun." Tess agreed.

"Darn. Maybe next time..." Jake mumbled.

"Ooh, you guyzzz should try Hammer Arm next!" Rotom suggested, looking over at them.

"Yeah. Imma give it a shot. Let's just say I practiced timing, and I'm pretty decent at it." I chuckled.

I looked over at Jake, and I motioned him to stand by Tess. Reason being because I'd like to let Sonic and I duke it out here.

When Sonic and I arrived, I already looked over to see Jake and Tess already caught up into a conversation. Well, Jake does ramble a lot, so that works out. I guess.

There were three of these Hammer Arm machines, but I think it would be better just to challenge myself with one of my best buds.

We picked a machine to go to, and give each other a teasing smirk.

"Good luck, Nifty." Sonic said.

"You too, dude." I responded. And then we press start, which the button was located under the slot where the hammer goes.

Then, I saw a green bar on the right, and then in which has a bit of yellow on two sides, and a small red line in the middle. And a white arrow is seen moving up and down really fast.

I raised my hammer up a bit.

BANG!

The arrow landed on the yellow, and the glowing lights get nearly to the top. Then there's another round, where the yellow and red spots moved up a bit.

BAM!

I slam the hammer down on the big red pad again, and the arrow was a little closer to the red line. But not enough.

The yellow and red spots moved more downwards now. Another swing of the hammer, and...

this time it was close to the green, so the lights only went up a little above halfway. Darn, but at least I got some progress.

183 is my final score. I look over to see Sonic is done, too.

And he got 190 as his overall score.

"D**n! You got a huge score!" I chuckled.

"Heh. Yeah, I did. Thanks, Nifty." Sonic responded.

"You two alwayzzz get close callzzz or something?" Rotom asked as he floats over to where we were.

"Sometimes, yes. I mean, we knew each other for a while. Years on end." I chuckled, shrugging my shoulders expressively. Sonic and I are natural-born gamers, so yeah, we usually get close calls when we play together at times.

"Hm, seems like there's only one more game to try in this arcade." Jake said.

"That's Quaza Candy, right?" Sonic questioned.

"Yes, it is." Tess replied.

"Let's do this one together, Tess!" Jake insisted. We all look at Jake after his outburst. I won't lie, even I was surprised after that.

But, heh, still proud of him. At least he's managing to do something.

"Well, alright. If you say so." Tess said as she shrugs her shoulders.

"Ooh, this oughta be great!" Sonic giggled.

"You can say that again. It's like... it was meant to be." I added.

"Meant to be? Azzz in...?" Rotom floated towards me as he asked that question.

"Well, it's like some kinda bond, you know?" I told the 'Dex. We then walk to the two green arcade machines.

And on the top of the machine, there holds the title of the game: Quaza Candy.

"Ooh! Quaza Candy! As a Dragon type trainer, Rayquaza is one of my favorite legendaries!" Tess commented, "I'll have to thank my Grandpa for teaching me about some legendaries."

"Say, while I still have this idea in mind... why don't you two play each other again? It's be nice to see another friendly rivalry between you two besides just Pokémon battles." I suggested. And Jake shows a big smile. And a blush.

Well, I'd say my suggestion worked.

"YEAH! Let's do it again, Tess!" Jake yelled.

"Well... heh, if you say so, Jake." Tess chuckled. And they choose the machine of their choice, and then press the start button.

And now, on the screen was a mini Rayquaza phasing through the wall and ending up on a black square with a green line. Said line was huge.

There was also a Rare Candy on each of their screens. Jake and Tess used the joystick to move the small Snake Pokémon, and when it got to the Rare Candy, it ate it, and got a little bigger. Then another candy appears in another location.

I remember playing a variant of that game when I was little. Except the Pokémon was Ekans or Seviper instead of Rayquaza.

Though, now that I think about it, Rayquaza seems to make the most sense here...

"Look at them go. They're really getting closer." I chuckled.

"Yeah. So glad we're all together during this adventure," Sonic sighed happily, "The four of us, traveling around Roria for our biggest journey yet."

"You can say that again!" I agreed. I put my attention back on Jake and Tess, and they just got more higher scores. They still kept going.

Wow. Quaza Candy may be their best game yet.

"Hey, guyzzz! Whatzzz the plan next?" Rotom asked as he floated over to us.

"Well, we're gonna view what is at the prize table first," I explained, "But we're gonna look since we don't really have enough tickets... yet. Then, I guess maybe we'll check out some of the other places that the Golden Poke Ball has."

"I can't wait!" Sonic cheered.

"They muzzzt have a lot of prizes here in thizzz place. Thatzzz my own theory." Rotom stated.

"I hope they're good. If there's something worth it, I wanna try to get it next time we come here." I ranted. Sonic chuckled at my sentence, and Rotom just stared blankly. But then he nods, mentioning that he understands.

A few minutes pass since then, and Jake and Tess are still going. But from what Sonic, Rotom and I were currently seeing, that's probably not gonna keep up for long.

Almost immediately after my assumption, Tess's in-game Rayquaza hit itself, and then Jake's did a second after.

"Ooh, looks like I got it longer this time, Tess!" Jake giggled.

"Sure, but that was once. I won't back down next time." Tess teased, playfully rolling her eyes.

"Now that we tried all of the games here, let's see what they have for prizes!" Sonic suggests.

"Ooh, right! Let's do it." Tess agreed. And we all huddle up together as we head over to the ticket counter, where we see this one guy wearing a very cool hoodie. The top part was an awe-inspiring galaxy layout, and the bottom part was a simple cyan color.

"Interested in exchanging your Tix for some awesome prizes?" He asked.

"We don't particularly have enough for prizes, but we'd like to view what you have in store." I explained.

"Gotcha. Here are the prizes we have available." The ticket counter guy said. Then he gives us a small pice of paper that shows all the prizes.

Luckily, the font is written in a neat way, so I don't have to worry about having any trouble on trying to read something that would seem unintelligible.

Sonic, Jake, Tess and Rotom grew closer to me in order to view what the prizes were. Boy, there was a large variety of them, actually.

So, there was some EV training items, like the Power Bracer, Power Band, Power, Anklet, etc. And they also have the Audinite, the Mega Stone for Audino.

Then for the rest of the items, there was a Destiny Knot, a few TMs, and three Pokémon to pick from: Audino, Chansey, and Ditto.

And then, there was a Mega Salamence Hoverboard. And another item below it that was... crossed out.

This must be the mysterious item that the guy from earlier was talking about, where we needed to get a certain score on Alolan Adventure in order to get it.

"Thanks for showing it to us! When we come back, we'll try to earn one of them!" Sonic giggled. The ticket counter guy only nods.

"Come back any time!" He said. And with that, we made our way out of the arcade.

---

I out my hand over my eyebrows to ease down the light, as the brightness of the lobby has gotten to me as soon as I stepped outside.

I waited a few more seconds in that phase, and then I put my hands on my hips. I look over at the others, and I saw they were talking about some of the moments they had in the arcade, ranging from high scores in the games, special moments, or anything else.

As I joined in with them, something else caught our attention big time. We all looked at Sonic since that's where the source came from.

Sonic looked down, looking at the egg that was still in it's container. It... bounced. And shook.

"Did... Did I see the egg just move? Like... more than usual?" Jake questioned, pointing at the egg.

"Now that you mention it, Jake... it was more than just a little hop." Sonic responded.

"Wait! Does that mean...?" I yelped.

"Bzzzzt! The egg izzz hatching!" Rotom screeched as he flailed around in the air. We all share the same shocked expressions, mouths agape.

"Quick, let's head back to the room!" Tess suggested. We all nod, and then walk back to the room. Yeah, walk. We don't run in a fancy place like this unless it was an emergency.

Man, I'm hyped to see what Pokémon is gonna hatch from that egg!

---

*2 minutes later...*

We arrive at our room after the short elevator ride, and also that walk across the hallway in order to get where we need to be. I scan the key on the knob, and it lets out a satisfying beep noise, with a green light, indicating access granted.

I open the door, and let the others go inside first. Once the were in, I step inside and close the door on my way in.

We all gather around the living room. Sonic sat on the couch, and I sat next to him. Jake and Tess stood aside, and Rotom floated next to them. We wouldn't want to overwhelm the newly-hatched Pokémon if we were all around one spot.

Sonic opens the glass covering the egg container, and puts it on the ground. This caused the egg to hop even faster.

"Whoa! I-It really is hatching!" Sonic yelped.

"Get ready everyone!" I shouted. We all paid attention to the egg. It glows blue and starts making slight cracking sounds.

Nothing could show our emotions other than awe.

Seconds later, a Pokémon formed after the egg disappears. The blue glow went away, and it reveals this Pokémon. And... it was unlike anything I've ever seen.

This Pokémon was blue, and looked like it was a big water drop. There were two big, long antennas on its head, with circles at the end of it. It has black eyes surrounded by a yellow circle, and there were three tiny yellow circles above its eyes.

It has small arms and tiny legs and feet, and there was a red gem on its chest. Oh my Arceus... there's no way!

I never seen anything like it!

"Mana?" The small Pokémon chirped as it looked at Sonic from its laying position.

"Hello there." Sonic greeted calmly.

"Whoa! What is that Pokémon?" Jake asked.

"I got it!" Rotom insisted. Then, that same newly-hatched Pokémon on Rotom's screen.

"Manaphy: the Seafaring Pokémon. A Water type Mythical Pokémon. It starts its life with a wondrous power that permits it to bond with any kind of Pokémon."

"I-It's... a Mythical?!" Tess yelped.

"Yezzz! They're super duper rare!" Rotom responded.

"Man... I would've never expected it." I admitted. We look over at Sonic, and we notice that Sonic was already bonding with Manaphy.

Sonic was gently petting Manaphy, and the small Mythical Pokémon only giggled upon getting the contact. Well, Sonic has been growing up with Pokémon back then, and so did I. So this easy bond was so cute to look at.

"Aww! Manaphy likes being petted!" Tess complimented.

"It really likes it." Sonic added, looking at Manaphy. The Water type shows a big, cute smile. Then it looked at us.

Rotom just looked, Jake and Tess waved. And I just held up a peace sign as my greeting.

"It's nice to meet you, Manaphy," Sonic said softly, "My name is Sonic, and these are my friends: Nifty, Jake, Tess, and Rotom."

"Mana, Manaphy!" The small Mon shows a big smile as it looks at all of us. We all wave back and return a similar greeting to the newly-hatched Manaphy.

Then it hops out of Sonic's arms, landing on the ground. It observes the massive hotel room.

For a Pokémon that just hatched from an egg, I could tell it already likes this place.

"Ooh, it must like how big the hotel room is!" Jake stated.

"Can we really blame it? Of course it'd like it! This room is huge, we can fit a whole group of people here!" Tess giggled.

"Heh, heck yeah. Nothing can really beat anything when it comes to this room." I chuckled along. Meanwhile, Manaphy just continued to look around. It was almost as if it wanted to explore this place.

Sonic walks to Manaphy and picks the small Water type back up.

"If you think our room is massive, Manaphy, why don't you come along with us to visit the rest of what this hotel offers?" Sonic asked. Manaphy looked up at Sonic and smiles cutely.

"Phy! Manaphy, Mana!" It cheered excitedly.

"Well, fortunately for you, Manaphy, I have the perfect suggestion for all of us." I said as I walked towards Sonic, looking at the small Mythical Pokémon in his arms.

"What's your suggestion, Nifty?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, bzzt, what will we check out next?" Rotom added.

"Well, Manaphy's a Water type, right?" I explained, "Well, the Golden Poke Ball does have an indoor pool. I was thinking all can go for a swim there, and give Manaphy a little time to enjoy these new moments as well, wouldn't you agree?"

"Perfect idea, Nifty!" Sonic complimented, nodding his head.

"Mana!" Manaphy chimes in, raising its hand.

"Yeah!" Jake cheered.

"Awesome! Let's just get out swimsuits, and we're ready to go!" Tess agreed.

"Bzzt, thizzz may not end well for me..." Rotom mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, right. You don't have to go in since I know you're... water-sensitive, as a Pokémon-possessed electronic, anyway." I said, chuckling to know about Rotom's sensitivity.

"I'll lose all my data if I came in contact with water, bzzt!" Rotom continued.

"Yeah. Anyways, Sonic, let's go get our stuff." I said as I turn towards my friend and his newly hatched Pokémon.

"Right behind you, Nifty!" Sonic responded, showing a big smile on his face, and also earning a smile from Manaphy.

We both went our separate ways to our rooms so we can grab our stuff and get going.

---

*about six minutes later...*

After our little walk, we finally arrive at the pool, which was one floor about the main lobby, and the arcade.

We enter the sliding doors, and our destination was on the other side. The first thing we all saw was the pool. It was big. One side was shallow, which covered about 1/3rd of the whole layout, ranging from 3-5ft. While the rest was very deep, starting at around 8-15ft.

Dang, 15 ft. That's pretty deep if you ask me.

The floor was the usual creamish-brown tiles, and the walls shared more of an actual cream color, but it also had a more distinguished design to it. And we weren't the only ones here. Of course, there was the lifeguard, sitting above chair about a few feet up top at the right of the pool, watching the people down below.

And then, there were usual people who also came to check it out. Men, women, children... just like a whole squad.

"Wow, this place is... huge." Jake complimented.

"Agreed. This looks like one of the biggest that I ever saw." Sonic added.

"Phy!" Manaphy joins in, agreeing with both Jake's and Sonic's statements.

"I can tell we're all going to really like this. Let's get changed, and we'll get started." Tess suggested. And we all head over to the changing rooms, in which housed two different areas: one for males, and the other for females.

While Jake, Sonic and I went into the male changing room, and Tess went into the female one, Rotom just stood outside. Of course, none of us minded since Rotom isn't like us in terms of being a human.

*another 5 minutes later*

I was the last one to come out, as I usually was the kind of person who would take their time. I was currently wearing black swim shorts with small red lines, and I also had a red tank too with a gray outline.

Yeah, I wear tank tops when I swim. Thought you'd never see the day, huh?

Sonic and Jake were already waiting for me. Sonic wore blue swim shorts, with the color getting darker downwards. Jake's was just a plain gray color.

But they didn't wear tank tops, unlike I do.

"Hey, Nifty!" Sonic greeted. And the little Manaphy looks at me, smiling and waving.

"Heya," I said with a small wave, "So, now we're just waiting for Tess to come out?"

"Yeah! She should be here any moment now." Sonic responded.

"Alright, cool." I chuckled. Gee, I wonder what Jake is thinking. Well, right now, he's just staring at me.

"I never understood why you always wear a tank top to beaches and pools, Nifty." He said in a confused tone. Heh, I always knew he would respond like that to my choice.

I place my hands behind my neck, smirking.

"The world isn't ready for my sexy body." I teased, trying my hardest to hold back a small laugh. Though, I did get a giggle from Sonic, despite my unusually convenient words of choice.

"Hey, boys. I'm back." We heard Tess's voice. We turn around to see Tess. After seeing that she came to join us, I quickly turned over to Jake, and... yep. He was blushing.

Tess was now wearing a purple one-piece swimsuit. So, besides the clothing, this would be the first time that we normally see her without her hat. That's for sure.

"So, how do I look?" Tess asked. I smirked as I look over at Jake again. Even though Jake was still in his shocked trance, he caught my saying of "try to compliment her".

"G-Great!" Jake yelped.

"Yeah, you look really nice, Tess." Sonic added.

"Thank you," Tess giggled, "And I must say, all of you look nice as well."

"Much appreciated." I replied, nodding my head.

"So, are we ready?" Sonic asked in excitement. Jake cheered, and I gave Sonic a low-five. And I gently pat Manaphy's head as well so it doesn't feel left out.

"Yeah. Let's go." I said. And so, we all head over to the pool to start some swimming activities.

We walked over to the shallow end and climbed down the pool stairs, all of us coming in contact with the water. Manaphy was already excited, since Sonic was holding onto it. And it jumped out of Sonic's arms, and into the water.

Now, that's what I call excitement right there.

We spent this time together just having fun. A chance to relax at one moment, and then we all were participating in splashing fights the next. The possibilities are literally endless!

Oh, and I did forget to mention that this pool had two diving boards. A low one, and a high one.

Tess did show off some of her diving skills on the high diving board, just like how I would expect from that treasure story she told us about.

She swam over to Sonic and I, her mask over her eyes so she can see underwater easily.

"Why don't you two give it a try? It's so much fun!" She insisted. I shrug my shoulders, giving Tess a huge grin.

"Bah, you know what, why the heck not!" I chuckled.

"I think we'll start on the low one, just so we can get the feel of it." Sonic added. Tess nodded in understanding.

"No worries! You two give it your best shot! I'll be watching you two!" She commented. Then she adjusts her mask, takes a huge deep breath, and then slips down underwater.

Sonic and I look at each other, and then we nod, ready to take on this challenge. We climb out of the pool, and over to where the two diving boards are at.

Sonic started at the low one, and he does a simple dive as he jumps down. Just to play it safe, I decided to jump down from the low board, too. Like Sonic, I also performed a simple dive since I don't know any flips, tricks, or any of that other random crap.

Tess cheered for us, and Jake also joined in as well, as I noticed that he was holding onto Manaphy from the distance.

Heh, glad to hear those cheering sounds.

Now... the higher diving board. This time, I started out on this one. And did the same dive down like when I was on the low board.

As I swam back to join Jake and Tess, Sonic already came down. As he came back up from the dive, we could only cheer.

"Daaang! That was sick, dude!" I complimented my friend as he joined back with me and the others.

"Heh, thanks, Nifty." Sonic responded.

"Mana!" Manaphy cheers as she jumps onto Sonic. Luckily, he managed to catch Manaphy and hold the small Pokémon in his arms.

"I see you liked it as well, Manaphy." Sonic said to the Mythical Pokémon in his arms.

"It sure did. Since Sonic is the one who found Manaphy in the egg back in Rosecove, it has Sonic's support all the way." I chuckled.

"Yep!" Sonic agreed.

"Definitely!" Jake added.

"Hey, Jake. Why don't you try the diving board now?" I suggested. And I also give an encouraging smile to him, unlike a usual smirk that I always have.

"Oh, uh... I don't know if I want to." Jake admitted.

"Aw, come on, Jake! It's really fun!" Tess insisted, also showing a smile. My gosh, even Tess is agreeing on that. Jake's going places.

"Hm, maybe I might give it a try. It's not like I'm scared or anything." Jake boasted. As soon as he said that, my eyebrows narrowed as I looked at Jake, crossing my arms.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I questioned.

"I'm... motivated! Yes, that's it!" Jake giggled. Then he swam over to the edge of the pool, ready to try the diving board. But I stopped Jake real quick.

"My guy, you don't have to do this. You don't have to not do extreme crap just to impress her," I explained, "There's way more alternate solutions that you can choose from. Not just this."

"But I have to, Nifty!" Jake cried, "I don't want Tess thinking I'm super bad or anything! I need to make sure I'm strong enough to protect her!"

"That's not why-" I abruptly paused my sentence to make sure no one else was listening. I just face palmed afterwards, and groaned.

"Fine then, go. Like I said, you have to do this on your own, too. So... yeah, go out there and break a leg." I told him.

"I can do this!" Jake assured, then he climbed out of the pool and over to the low diving board.

...

Yeah, just how I expected it. I wouldn't see Jake wanting to try the high one any time soon.

Jake leaned over to the ledge and looks down. After waiting a few more seconds, he takes a few small deep breaths to regain his composure...

And then he jumps down, landing with a splash. I joined up with Tess, Sonic and Manaphy as I see Jake come back up.

He shows a big smile as he waves his hand around.

"Piece of cake!" He called out.

"Hee hee, well, Jake sure did well." Tess giggled.

"Yeah, he did." Sonic added while Manaphy giggles as well to join up in the conversation.

I managed to show a small smirk after Jake's dive was over.

"...Not bad, bud." I mumbled to myself.

---

We stayed at the pool for another thirty minutes, just splashing around and having fun. Boy, it definitely was fun. Well, I know Rotom didn't feel the same way, as he did just watch us the whole time.

But this fun did have to end some time, as we did have to check out some other places that this huge hotel offers.

After drying ourselves off and changing back to our normal clothing, we walked back to the room. It was already 5:30 PM. Dang. Time flies when you're having fun.

I unlocked the door to our apartment and walked inside, holding the door for the others so they can join in, too.

Once everyone was in, I closed the door.

"That sure wazzz an interezzzting experience." Rotom said.

"Yeah, it was." Sonic responded.

"Phy." Manaphy added.

"Oh, this reminds me," I said abruptly, "Rotom did say that Manaphy is a Pokémon that can easily become friends with any others, right? Well, why don't we send out our Pokémon and let them have fun for a bit?"

"That is a great idea, Nifty!" Sonic replied, nodding his head. I looked over at Manaphy, and I saw that it was happy for this.

"You sure that... everyone could fit in this one room though?" Jake questioned.

"Dude, this room is so huge, that at least a dozen Wailords can squeeze through like if this was a fish tank," I chuckled, "So yes, all our Pokémon can fit in his hotel room. Trust me."

"Well, sounds like a plan. I would need to give them all some freedom anyway." Tess responded, holding out her Poke Balls.

"Me too!" Sonic added.

"Well, in that case... let's send everyone out!" I cheered. I grabbed all of my Poke Balls, and flung them up into the air, and everyone else did the same, while Rotom was entranced at the sight.

All of my Pokémon emerged, starting with Doublade and Tyrantrum, followed by Nidoking and Rhydon, and then Greninja and Charizard came shortly after.

Then all of Sonic's Pokémon came out. Chesnaught, and Primarina shared a rivaling glare as Pumpkaboo looks over at them, Togetic and Bagon looked at each other, and Lycanroc was there acting cool and determined.

Jake's Pokémon came out with loud cheers. Apart from Slowpoke, who just yawns. And then Tess's joined in on the fun, including Frillish.

"Manaphy... I would like you to meet all of our friends." Sonic whispered to the small Water type Pokémon in his arms.

Then Manaphy was set down, and it already walks over to look at everyone, who exchanged friendly glances at the Mythical.

"Aw, look! They're welcoming Manaphy with open arms!" Jake giggled.

"Bzzt! Manaphy is an easygoing Pokémon, after all!" Rotom reminded. I playfully rolled my eyes.

"I'll say! Easygoing must be Manaphy's overall personality if making friends is this easy for it!" Tess complimented.

"Yes, that is true." Sonic added, nodding his head all the while.

"So, what will we do now?" Jake asked.

"Let's just have them play for a little bit. And while they do so, I'm going to start dinner. It's getting late, and we should eat something before we head back to the hotel lobby for the other places." I explained.

"Okay! I'll get the Pokémon food and prepare it for them!" Sonic insisted.

"You do that, dude. Meanwhile, I'm gonna make some pizza for us." I responded as I headed to the kitchen along with Sonic.

"Wait... 'make'? Nifty, you can make pizza?" Tess exclaimed.

"He did before." Jake told the purple-haired girl.

"That's right! I actually made pizza on my own for my parents before," I explained, "And I gotta say, it was the best pizza I ever had and made. It was so good that I was forced to save some of it. Gave a couple slices to Sonic as well. Good Arceus, it was delicious."

"Sure was!" Sonic cut in to raise his hand. Then he went back to preparing food for the Pokémon.

"Well... I would definitely like to try some!" Tess said with a big smile, now feeling interested in my pizza-cooking skills.

"Me too!" Jake added.

"I, azzz well! Bzzt!" Rotom exclaimed as he zooms all over the place in excitement.

"Give me about 40 minutes, and you'll have the best s**t you've ever had." I commented as I walked to the kitchen sink to wash my hands.

After that 30 second wash was done, I pre-heated the oven and then got the ingredients and supplies ready to make the pizza. Sonic was getting the Pokémon food. He grabbed a few bowls so they can all eat together.

We exchanged glances for a couple seconds and nodded, and then Sonic sets out back to the living room with the bowls and the Pokémon food,

I started with the pizza dough, placing it on a platter, and flatten it out with a rolling pin. Couldn't mess it up, so this took me about a minute or two.

When the dough was flattened enough, I grabbed a ladle and put some tomato sauce on it. I then pour it on the dough, and I use the bottom part of the ladle to spread the sauce out.

When there was enough sauce on every nook and cranny of the dough, I sprinkled the cheese on it, and made sure there was enough on every side.

Well, that was easy enough. I don't know what toppings the others like, but I personally don't like any toppings on pizza, so I decided to leave it as it is.

Keeping the pizza on the platter, I put some oven mitts on, and then grab the handle of the platter. I open the oven, place the pizza inside, then I close the oven and start the timer for thirty five minutes.

As much as I would go up and check on how the others are doing, I don't wanna risk to see anything bad happen to the pizza, so I stay in the kitchen so the pizza doesn't burn or anything.

I decided to set up the table. Luckily, it was big enough for all four of us to sit on each side. For each of those table sides, I put a napkin, a plate, and a cup filled with cola. Might as well get a little sugared up, wouldn't you agree?

A minute passes by, and everything is all set up. I also put a pizza cutter near the stove so I can cut the pizza when it's done.

Meanwhile, I guess I'll just read some stories on my phone while I'm at it as I check on the pizza...

-3rd person POV, with Sonic and the rest-

Manaphy was laughing as she was playing with the other Pokémon. They were all having a good time and just having fun. Sonic arrives back, and he puts a bunch of bowls down. Then he opens the bags filled with Pokémon food.

"Manaphy is so adorable! All our Pokémon are really getting along with her!" Jake giggled.

"Well, it did juzzzt hatch from an egg," Rotom reminded, "But ztill, zeeing thizzz makezzz me all giddy and happy!"

Rotom expressed his happiness with a little happy emoji on his screen.

"Same here. I really love Pokémon. They're so friendly and cute." Sonic sighed happily, placing the Pokémon food in different bowls, which ended up getting the Pokémons' attention.

"Here you go, everyone," Sonic continued, smiling at the Pokémon, "We all gathered the best type of Pokémon food for all of you. I hope you like it!"

"Something tellzzz me that they really seem to enjoy your offer." Rotom giggled, floating around the blue-haired trainer.

"Heh, you're right about that, Rotom." Sonic commented.

"So, uh... what shall we do now?" Jake asked.

"Well, let's just relax for a bit. Nifty said the pizza is currently cooking, so it's best we just relax after all that we've done today." Tess suggested.

"If you say so." Sonic said. Nifty looked over at the rest from across the kitchen, and he smiled to see they Pokémon were enjoying their food and time together.

*30 minutes later...*

-Nifty's POV-

"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL BLOODY HELL IS THIS?!" I blurted out as I looked at my phone screen in surprise. What the frick are these details?! How did the author manage to get away with this?!

I could tell I got the others' attention. I looked over at them as I put my phone back in my pocket, and they seemed... confused.

"You okay, Nifty?" Sonic asked.

"What wazzz the screaming about?" Rotom added.

"Oh, sorry, guys," I apologized, "I was just reading this fanfic made by this person named JRedd7272. And... I think I've been scarred for life."

"What were the details of that fanfic?" Tess questioned.

"Let's just say... it involves a woman being a bloody cannibal." I said, giving them the simple answer. It took the rest a while to process that thought, but then they realized, and...

They also seemed disturbed. I don't blame 'em! This is the most detailed fanfic I have ever read from this guy!

But to be honest, it would make for a good horror movie.

Ding!

Ooh, that was the oven.

"Pizza's done cooking." I chuckled, putting on the mitts again.

"Yay!" Jake cheered. I open he oven, and I carefully grab the platter's handle, taking the pizza along. The cheese has melted, and crust was more tan and crunchy, and the steam wafted up to the ceiling.

"Oh wow. It smells really good." Tess complimented. I smirked as I put the platter on the middle of the table. Then I went over to get the pizza cutter.

"I can't wait to have this again!" Sonic giggled. While the others sat down, and Rotom watches all of us from one place, I cut the pizza into eight slices. Jake and Tess sat across from each other, and Sonic was in between them.

"Okay, I have everything set up, and the pizza's all ready. Be careful, it just came out of the oven." I explained.

"Oh, we're aware." Tess teased, showing a smirk.

"Arceus, I sounded just like my dad for a second." I realized. And we all shared a laugh from that.

Soon after, I hide a serious look on my face. Mom... Dad... don't worry. My friends and I are going to take down Team Eclipse and save you and the Harknahs.

I joined up with the rest, placing my seat across from Sonic, and I put two slices on each plate.

We decided to start off this pizza with a small bite, because A: we wanted to give it a taste test to see if my pizza-cooking skills are still on point, and B:

...

It's still hot, for Arceus sake.

We each took a small bite of the pizza at different times. I took mine, and... geez, it was amazing.

"Yep! Still as good as ever!" I boasted.

"Mmm! Yes, it really is!" Sonic agreed. I look at Jake and Tess, and they also shared shocked looks as they bit their slices.

When they swallowed it, they shared the same happy expression.

"This is SO good!" Jake cheered.

"Oh my Arceus! Nifty, you weren't kidding! This pizza is amazing!" Tess added. I showed a thankful smile as an appreciation for the compliment.

"I wish I could join you guyzzz on the tasting!" Rotom complained. Again, all of us shared a teasing laugh at Rotom.

And with that, we took another 25 to 30 minutes to enjoy our self-made food. Some of our Pokémon even peeked by to see what we were eating.

For all of us to enjoy our food while our Pokémon have enough room to run around... this is the life. A life that all of us enjoy.

I like Anthian City already!

---

*later on, at one of the higher floors...*

After we all finished our pizza and washed our dishes, we all came to an agreement to check out what else the Golden Poke Ball has in store for us.

We had our Pokémon back in our Poke Balls (except for Sonic's Manaphy), so we can save them for what we would say... potential future battles. That's right.

Our next stop is the Golden Poke Ball's own free Pokémon battle place...

The Battle Arena.

I also decided to bring my sketchbook with me, because I thought that maybe after a battle, I would introduce our future group name.

We saw the entrance, and we went inside it. All of us were astounded at what we were seeing.

The cyan walls mixed with a darker blue floor with purple outlines. There were about SIX battlefields in the room. Three of which were being used by a few trainers battling each other.

And the ceiling was also made of glass, and it was HUGE! We could see the sunlight shining through! And there were bleachers on the left and right sides of the room, where several people were watching the current battles.

Well... here were no battles going on right now, but there were still people at the bleachers.

And on another side, there was a small Poke Mart, and another place where it had Storage PCs, and trading machines.

Wow, this place is freaking cool.

"Whoa!" Sonic said in awe.

"Battle Arena? Gee, they really knew what they were doing." I stated.

"I already like this place!" Tess giggled. I looked over at Jake, and he seemed silent. Still having trouble with compliments, huh? Eh, guess I'll need to give him more advice then.

"I bet we'll easily get settled into this place." Sonic said, while Manaphy giggles as Sonic holds it. Tess giggled as well as she gently pets Manaphy's head, giving it affection.

"So, Jake," I whispered, getting his attention, "If compliments don't work, you can try and spike up a conversation. You know, ask Tess more questions, get to know a little bit about her."

"I... don't know if that suits me well, Nifty." Jake admitted.

"Then just share simple questions. What are some important questions you may ask a girl?" I asked, testing him on knowledge.

"Uh... their name?" Jake guessed.

"You already know her name!" I grumbled, trying my hardest not to scream it out.

"Yeah, it's Tess." Jake said. I face palmed.

"Okay, look," I sighed afterwards, "Just try and find a way to get closer with Tess. It's the least I can offer. Okay?"

"Okay, Nifty." Jake responded, nodding his head. I nodded afterwards, then we met up with the other two.

We were all looking around, astounded by the sounds of the screams and commands of the trainers, the roars of their Pokémon, the explosions of their moves landing, and the screaming cheers of the audience watching.

I smiled as I thought of something. I should battle Sonic again. Our last one was a 1v1, and I'm in the mood to start a full battle with him. The last time we did one was back at the Old Graveyard when our journey began.

"Hey, Sonic." I said.

"Hm?" Sonic hummed as he and Manaphy turned towards us.

"Would you like to battle against me?" I offered, "I would suggest we do one since the last one was just with one Pokémon. Let's do a full battle. You know... if you're up to it."

I was met with a determined smile from my blue-haired friend.

"I accept your challenge, Nifty! Let's do it!" Sonic cheered.

"Phy! Manaphy!" The Mythical Pokémon cheered along with Sonic.

"Oh! This is gonna be really great!" Jake chuckled, "Nifty and Sonic have gotten REALLY strong during their adventure! It will be cool to see how a battle turns out now!"

"Same here! I'm anticipated to see what happens!" Tess agreed, nodding her head.

"Then it's on. Let's start this battle." I said in a determined tone. Sonic walked towards Tess.

"Is it okay if you hold Manaphy as you and Jake watch the battle with it?" Sonic requested.

"Oh, of course," Tess said as she takes Manaphy off of Sonic's arms, "Give it your all, Sonic! We believe in you and Nifty for this friendly battle!"

"Yeah, Sonic! Don't give up!" Jake shouted from across.

"Thanks, guys." Sonic replied while smiling. Then he walks back towards me. We exchanged glances for a second before we nodded in unison.

We find an empty Pokémon battlefield, and we each stand on one side. I looked at the bleachers, and Jake and Tess were watching us from there, along with Manaphy.

Sonic and I reach into our pockets. We each put our hands on the Poke Ball for the first Pokémon we want to use.

For me, I pull out an Ultra Ball. I smiled as I knew who exactly I was gonna start out with. I look over at Sonic, and he has his first choice as well.

We both throw the balls up in the air, and the Pokémon we decided to use first have sprung out.

And this first match is my Doublade against Sonic's Primarina. Now this... is gonna be interesting.

"Primarina, get ready! Use Sparkling Aria!" Sonic shouted. Primarina stands up on her tail, and her hair unties. She sings a high note as a huge ball of water forms up.

Then it explodes as water was starting to pour down on the battlefield.

"Don't get overwhelmed! Evade with Shadow Sneak!" I yelled. A ghostly energy surrounded Doublade, and it sneaks by all the water explosions.

Doublade was nowhere to be seen, which led to Sonic and Primarina becoming aware of where Doublade may pop up.

"Aqua Jet, quickly!" Sonic yelped. Primarina surrounds itself with water as soon as Doublade appeared behind the Water type starter.

Both of them ended up colliding with each other, which traded. Hey ended up taking a decent amount of damage from that.

"Quickly, Doublade! Before Primarina attacks! Use Aerial Ace!" I commanded. Keeping his hilts tight in his hands, Doublade gets up and starts charging up an attack.

He sneakily approaches Primarina once again, about to unleash it.

"Dodge it, and then use Bubble Beam!" Sonic exclaimed. Primarina evades it, and then lets out a large stream of bubbles from her mouth.

This, in return, made Doublade stumble, stopping him from attacking a second time if he so desired to.

"Oh, dang! Man, Sonic really is coming along." I mumbled under my breath. I had to try and come up with a different strategy. Maybe something isn't working.

"Primarina, use Aqua Jet!" Sonic yelled. Once again, the Water type approaches Doublade while she was surrounded by a torrent.

I had to think quickly. To at least try and get a move in.

Aha! I snap my fingers as I got an idea.

"Loosen up real quick, Doublade. Night Slash!" I exclaimed. A black energy appeared within one of Doublade's hands.

As soon as Primarina attacked, so did Doublade. Primarina gets out of her water formation to see what the results of the attack are.

She was shocked to see that Doublade wasn't there.

"Now, Doublade! Shadow Sneak!" I screamed. From behind, Doublade towers over Primarina, and then unleashes a big attack right on her.

Primarina was knocked forward, but she got up a couple seconds later, as one measly attack won't do much.

"Whoa! Nifty, that was really good!" Sonic complimented.

"Heh, sure was." I replied while shrugging.

"But this battle isn't over yet! Get ready, Primarina!" Sonic said in a determined tone. Primarina looks at Sonic and then clears her throat.

Singing another high note, a pink, fairy energy formed up. It was almost as if it was as big as the moon.

All of is were in awe at what we were seeing. And, uh... I also noticed more people were coming to view our battle.

Primarina then shoots that energy, but Doublade stays put.

BAM!

It hit, but Doublade backs up because of the after effects of that move.

"Whoa! What was that?" Jake asked.

"That wazzz Moonblast!" Rotom responded, "It's a powerful Fairy type move that hazzz a chance of lowering the opponent's Special Attack!"

"Oh my! But... I don't think Doublade was too bothered by it." Tess pointed out, while Manaphy looks over in curiosity.

"Well, Steel typezzz are resistant to Fairy type movezzz, so that may be it." Rotom said.

"Mana, Mana." Manaphy responded.

"Whoa! Moonblast!" Sonic said in surprise. And he was extremely happy. I smirked as well, also feeling proud for my friend and his Pokémon.

But no matter what, a battle is still a battle.

"Okay, enough warming up. Doublade! Iron Head, let's go!" I shouted. Clear metal covers Doublade entirely, and he charges right at Primarina.

"Quickly, Primarina! Stop Doublade's Iron Head with Icy Wind!" Sonic exclaimed. As Doublade grew closer, Primarina blows a cold wind right at her.

But Doublade easily resisted it and pulled through the wind without hesitation.

Primarina yelps as she gets pushed back by the Aerial Ace.

"Aqua Jet! Go!" Sonic continued. Primarina starts her attack before she hits the ground, and then charges right at Doublade.

The Steel/Ghost Pokémon lets out one last metallic shrill sound before Primarina gets extremely close.

BOOM!

A small cloud of waves is the only thing I was able to see after the attacks collided.

As soon as it cleared up, I saw Doublade laying on the ground, fainted, and his hilts on the ground.

"Bzzt! Doublade is down, and Primarina winzzz! Nifty only hazzz five more Pokémon left!" Rotom screeched as he zips all around the bleachers.

I sigh while keeping a smile on, and then I return Doublade back to his ball.

"Great job, Primarina!" Sonic cheered. Primarina joins up with her trainer and snuggles onto him. Sonic only lightly chuckled, while slightly blushing. It was plain visible for me to see it.

"I want to give the others a chance to battle as well. Would you be okay if I switched you out for a bit?" Sonic asked. The Water type starter was shocked by that. But then she just sighs.

"Pri, Primarina..." She mumbles.

"I'm glad you understand." Sonic replied. Then he pulls out his Poke Ball and returns Primarina back.

"You're switching out?" I questioned, placing my hands on my hips.

"Yeah! I wanna make sure everyone has a chance to battle!" Sonic chuckled. Then he pulls out his next Poke Ball.

"Come on out, Pumpkaboo!" He yelled as the Ball was thrown upwards. Out comes Pumpkaboo, and she does a little dance around her side of the battlefield as soon as she was sent out.

"Well then, in that case... you're up next, Tyrantrum!" I shouted, sending out my next Pokémon. The ball is thrown up in the air, and out comes the ancient fossil Pokémon.

Now, Tyrantrum may be a Rock type... but he's also a Dragon type. I won't have to worry too much about Grass type moves doing too much.

"Run in and use Crunch!" I demanded. Tyrantrum roars so loudly, that it probably grabbed the attention of everyone in this room.

Then it starts running towards the small pumpkin Pokémon.

"Quick, Pumpkaboo! Use Bullet Seed; trip him up!" Sonic yelled. Pumpkaboo does a round twirl in the air, then unleashes a quick line of seeds from her mouth.

This ended up making Tyrantrum slow down. He stumbles backwards, but then maintains his balance, as the Bullet Seed didn't do too much as much as I thought.

"Don't give up, Tyrantrum! Use Rock Slide!" I shouted. The fossil Pokémon roars again as he tilts his head up in the air, and then a bunch of giant rocks began to fall down.

"Pumpkaboo, dodge it, and fast!" Sonic cried. Pumpkaboo yelped she was overhwlemed at the amount of rocks coming down.

But the ghost pumpkin Pokémon managed to start avoiding the rocks that were aiming at her.

Ghost Pokémon sure are tricksters, aren't they?

"Pumpkaboo, Shadow Ball!" Sonic commanded.

"Pumpkaaaaaa... BOO!" The Pokémon charges up a Shadow Ball from her mouth, and then unleashes the powerful ball at Tyrantrum.

"Slice it up with Dragon Claw!" I shouted. The Rock/Dragon fossil Pokémon's claws turned purple with energy filled inside, then when the Shadow Ball inches closer, he slices it in half, leaving behind a small cloud of smoke.

My Arceus, this sure is intense.

"Leech Seed!" Sonic continued.

And then, before I knew it, some small vines wrapped around Tyrantrum's legs. And boy, those vines held him tight as they sucked up some energy from him.

Tyrantrum groans in pain, feeling his health slowly weakening.

This caused me to get even more worried. No, I cannot let it end here. There's still so much more I have yet to do.

"Hang in there, Tyrantrum! Try and break free!" I pleaded. Tyrantrum tries to struggle out of the vines, but alas, it wasn't too easy.

"Pumpkaboo, Shadow Ball one more time!" Sonic yelled. Like before, Pumpkaboo shoots out a large Shadow Ball.

Oh geez, I had to think fast about this. And Tyrantrum is losing health as I speak.

Wait, wait! I got it!

"Use Crunch on the Shadow Ball!" I shouted. Tyrantrum raises his gargantuan jaws, and slams them down on the Shadow Ball. He easily dissipated it.

The large, fossil Pokémon lets out another mighty roar, and he ends up breaking free from the vines! Perfect!

"Now, let's get ready and finish this matchup," I chuckled, "Use Rock Slide! Go!"

More rocks began to slide down near Pumpkaboo!

"Dodge it!" Sonic yelped. Heh, I had a feeling he'd go for that. Luckily, I had this idea planned.

"Slam your tail onto one of the rocks!" I demanded, Tyrantrum turns to the side, and then waits for a rock falling down.

He smacks the rock with his large tail, and it was making its way towards Pumpkaboo at a rapid speed.

BAM!

"PUMP-KA!" The pumpkin Pokémon cried as it stumbles in place. Yes! This is my chance!

"And now, finish this with Dragon Claw!" I continued. Tyrantrum ran towards Pumpkaboo again, and he slashes his energy-filled claws on her.

Shortly after the impact, Pumpkaboo's eyes swirl as it faints on the ground.

"Well, bzzt! Nifty seems to have evened up the match!" Rotom exclaimed, expressing shock in his tone.

Sonic sighs, then he shows a small smile as he looks at the fainted Pumpkaboo.

"You did great out there, Pumpkaboo. Take a good rest." Sonic said softly, then he returns Pumpkaboo back to her ball.

"Now we're even, my friend. You can tell that this match is on now." I teased. Sonic just nods as he grabs his next Poke Ball.

"Mm hmm," He hummed, "Now this is our true time to shine, so let's not back down. Togetic! You're next!"

And Sonic sends out Togetic as his next Pokémon. Ooh, this'll be a toughy. I don't wanna switch out too much.

But a Dragon type against a Fairy type... this may not turn out well. But... this could be even too, since Tyrantrum has the Rock advantage.

Eh, only one way to find out.

"Tyrantrum, let's start out easy for this one! Stomp!" I shouted. Tyrantrum looks at Togetic for a brief second before he jumps up into the air, and prepares to stomp down on Togetic.

"Quick, dodge it!" Sonic cried. It was close, but Togetic manages to avoid the upcoming stomp.

"Great! Now, Togetic, use Fairy Wind!" Sonic continued. Togetic hums, and then flaps her wings as she flies higher into the air. Then she unleashes a pink wind that covered almost the whole battlefield.

Tyrantrum got caught in it, and because he's part Dragon, this caused him to groan and stumble from the pain of the move.

"Stand tall, Tyrantrum! Break through with a Crunch!" I yelled. Tyrantrum opens his eyes, then he runs across the wind so he can land his mighty crunch.

Togetic yelped as she realized Tyrantrum running to her at the last second. However, it was too late. Tyrantrum bites down, and Togetic shouts as the Crunch landed on her.

So far, so good.

"Ha ha! Great job, Tyrantrum!" I commented, "But let's keep going! Use Rock Slide!"

Tyrantrum obeys my order, roars loudly, and then huge rocks began to rain down.

"Oh no! Togetic, run!" Sonic exclaimed. Togetic looked at the rocks coming down, and she used this opportunity to run away from ever single one of them.

Some of them grazed near her, but it wasn't really anything too serious. You know, because they didn't truly land.

"Now use Sweet Kiss!" Sonic called out. Togetic shows a cute look, then she makes a smooch sound as a kiss icon floated towards Tyrantrum.

He could only look at it, until the lips got near him and made a heart-shaped explosion. However, this made Tyrantrum confused. Stars became his eyes, and he started stumbling all around the place.

"Oh crap! Tyrantrum, hang in there!" I yelped. I knew this was never a good sign. Especially since Tyrantrum is at the risk of hitting himself with his own attack if that were to be the case.

I had to think of something, and fast.

"You have to snap out of it, Tyrantrum! Try and get close for an attack!" I exclaimed, hoping that he would do something.

But instead, just as I feared, Tyrantrum tried to swing his tail at Togetic, but ended up hitting the wall instead, roaring in pain.

Even more people stopped by to see what was going on. Some of them even mumbled about the whole wall slam.

"Togetic, Magical Leaf!" Sonic shouted. A bunch of small leaves, with a rainbow outline, formed around Togetic's wings, then she unleashes them at Tyrantrum.

The confused fossil Pokémon could only take the attack and fall backwards as they landed. This is getting wild now. Hopefully Tyrantrum can try to land a move before it's too late.

What to do, what to do...

"Rock Slide!" I said abruptly. Either way, Tryantrum manages to start the attack. However, the rocks were all more spread out instead of near Togetic like the last few times.

"Okay, Togetic! Are you ready?" Sonic asked.

"Toge!" The happiness Pokémon chirped.

"Yay! Use Metronome, let's go!" Sonic cheered. Togetic looks at Tyrantrum, and waves her pointer finger around.

Oh Arceus, what attack is it going to be...

Turns out, the attack Togetic got was Dragon Pulse. Ironic, Togetic using a Dragon type move despite being a Fairy type...

Anyways, she easily landed the Dragon-energy beam right at Tyrantrum. He groans even louder as the pain finally started to settle in.

But... as I looked over at Sonic's side of the battlefield, I could've sworn... more of the rocks from the Rock Slide landed?

I couldn't see over all this some from all the collisions from the moves. Sonic and I waited a bit to see what the final results are.

...

Oh my Arceus. I... can't believe it.

Both Togetic and Tyrantrum fainted. Holy crap. We actually tied?

Cheers and gasps of surprise began to fill the room. Everyone was quite shocked about the outcome. I look at the bleachers to see Jake, Tess, Rotom and Manaphy.

"Whoa, they tied!" Jake yelped.

"Nifty and Sonic must share this equal power to be able to do that!" Tess stated, as Manaphy stares at Sonic and I curiously.

"Bzzt! The match is zzztill even! None of them are letting down!" Rotom screeched.

I kept a kind smile on my face as I looked at my fainted Pokémon.

"You did great out there, Tyrantrum. Rest up, okay?" I said, and then I return him. I looked over at Sonic, and I saw he was walking towards Togetic.

When Sonic places his hand on Togetic's small shoulder, she shudders as she looks up.

"Toge... Togetic..." She mumbled.

"I know, Togetic. But don't worry. The two of us will get stronger together. For now, take a good rest." Sonic said softly. Togetic closes her eyes as Sonic returns her back to her ball.

Sonic walks back to his side of the field, and I only smile as I placed my hands on my hips.

"Ready for round four?" I asked.

"You bet." Sonic replied, gaining his confidence back easily. I grabbed hold of my Great Ball, knowing who I want to send out next. But I do not know who Sonic is gonna send out until he actually makes his move.

Finally, he grabs an Ultra Ball, and he throws it up in the air, along with me. I think I had a feeling on what was coming...

"Rhydon! Go!" I shouted.

"I choose you, Bagon!" Sonic yelled at the same time as me. My Rhydon lands on the ground with a huge thud, and then roars mightily.

I notice Sonic chose Bagon as his next Pokémon. The small Dragon type trips, but he gets up a second later and starts yapping continuously.

Neither of us technically have an advantage here, so... I guess we're even?

Eh, it's whatevs. I'll just get started in this match.

"Rhydon, use Bulldoze!" I shouted. Rhydon growls, then he jumps a tiny bit. And when he lands, the ground started to shake slightly.

However, the only ones who were affected by it was Bagon. Everyone else could only think about how the effects of it feel.

"BAY-AY- BAGON!" The small Pokémon screeches as it starts stumbling all over the place, trying to stop itself from falling over. But a couple more seconds passed by, and, ultimately... Bagon fell on his back.

But once the Bulldoze finally ended, as well as Rhydon letting out a shout of triumph, Bagon finally got his strength back to stand up.

"You okay there, Bagon?" Sonic asked his Pokémon.

"Gon, Bagon!" He shouted while nodding.

"Okay! Run up and use Dragon Breath!" Sonic yelled. Bagon nods again to respond to Sonic's command, then he shoots a small energy beam from his mouth.

Rhydon looked in shock at the power of that Dragon Breath.

BAM!

It managed to land a direct hit on Rhydon, but judging from what I am seeing right now, that doesn't really seem to be the care.

The move only landed a small scratch on Rhydon's right cheek, and nothing more. Yeah, it was going to take more than just one Dragon Breath to take down this mighty Pokémon.

"DON!" He bellows as he stomps his right foot, a small dust cloud appearing thanks to the impact on the dirt.

"Okay, get ready, Rhydon! Use Smack Down!" I demanded. Rhydon forms a medium-sized rock, and when it was finished, he shot it right at Bagon.

"Ember, quick!" Sonic yelped. Bagon retaliates the incoming rock with a small flame that he shot from his mouth.

But apparently, the flame only disintegrated when it came in contact with the rock.

"Baaaaaaaaaagon!" His eyes widened as they became pure white with fear. He turns the other direction and starts to run away.

However, he was too slow, and ended up getting hit by it anyway.

"Oh no! Bagon!" Sonic cried. The Rock Head Pokémon struggled a bit to get up, but he was still ready to continue the fight.

Bagon looks at Rhydon, and... starts ranting at him. Of course, Sonic and I couldn't really tell what Bagon was ranting about, but Rhydon seems to understand like it was a playful tease.

"Well, this is... certainly a very interesting outcome." I quietly chuckle.

"Rhy..." The Ground/Rock Pokémon said in agreement.

"Bagon, you still up to continue the fight?" Sonic questioned as he stared at Bagon. Immediately, the tiny Dragon type Pokémon growls as it gets ready to attack Rhydon head on.

"Okay! Now, Bagon, use Bite!" Sonic exclaimed. Rhydon looks over as Bagon starts running over to him.

"Get ready to block it, Rhydon!" I warned. I receive an affirmative growl from my Pokémon, and he got in a stance where he's ready to block the attack.

When Bagon got closer, Rhydon held his arms out, and the Rock Head Pokémon. Bagon's small teeth got a little sharper.

And then Bagon bites down on Rhydon's left arm.

...

Rhydon was unfazed.

Bagon was confused on why Rhydon didn't get. Then, Rhydon's opponent only seemed to get more frustrated, and he chomps down on the arm, hoping for some pain.

More and more chomps, and Rhydon still didn't remove his unfazed, blank expression. Bagon only seemed to get more weak and tired after biting down so much.

Soon, Bagon stopped, and his eyes were filled with fear and shock as he realizes what's going on, and, preferably, what's going to happen next.

"Don, Rhydon..." The Drill Pokémon mumbles, not moving his body one inch.

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped. A battle is still a battle," I said with a shrug, "Either way, Rhydon and I know that we're not backing down! Speaking of which... Rhydon! Slam Bagon to the ground with Hammer Arm!"

Rhydon raises his arm that Bagon was still holding onto. Bagon got even more scared, that he refused to let go as if he knew what was gonna happen if he did.

The Ground/Rock Pokémon felt his arm filling with bulky energy, then he slammed it down on the ground, slamming Bagon onto it.

I call Rhydon to back up a bit and wait to see what happens. It took even longer for Bagon to get up this time. Because seriously, that Hammer Arm must've been powerful.

"Bagon!" Sonic shouted. Upon hearing his name being called, he immediately got up, but not without stumbling to try and maintain his balance.

"Don't give up yet! We can still do this together!" Sonic complimented.

"Bagon! Bagon!" The Dragon type lets out a cute roar.

"Use Headbutt! Don't worry, Bagon! I know you can do it!" Sonic exclaimed. Bagon started charging towards Rhydon again. However... I believe my Pokémon and I kmow exactly what was going to happen.

To be honest, I am expecting a trip, since Bagon seems to be clumsy, I can't really blame it though, since it's... you know, his personality. And Sonic took the opportunity to train Bagon to get stronger, and I really like that.

Sonic is such a kind-hearted guy.

Anyways, as I look over, I saw that Bagon actually managed to land the Headbutt! But knowing Rhydon't bulkiness and Bagon's clumsiness, it came at a price.

Bagon bounced back, and landed on his back. And I could tell that Rhydon wasn't even hurt at the slightest from Bagon's tempting tackle.

He tried to scramble his way back up, but his clumsiness was really getting the best of him there.

"Okay, let's finish this, Rhydon. Slam down with a Stomp!" I shouted. As soon as I made my command, Rhydon charges towards the small Dragon type, then jumps up.

It darts towards Bagon at a high speed. The Rock Head Poké screamed as it tried to run away, but... you probably know what's about to happen next.

Yep. Bagon was too slow to avoid impact of Rhydon's Normal type move, and ended up getting crushed in the end. When Rhydon backs up to see what happened, we all notice the fainted Bagon on the ground.

Welp. Now it's over. A matchup I probably wouldn't have expected...

"Well, bzzt... looks like itzzz already over for poor Bagon," Rotom sighed, "At leazzzt Sonic is helping him get stronger." Rotom stated.

"Sonic is caring, and that's what I really like about him. Wouldn't you agree, Manaphy?" Tess said, looking down at Sonic's newly hatched Pokémon.

"Mana, Mana!" Manaphy giggled. Its smile grew bigger once Tess pats its head gently.

"Well, now Nifty has the number advantage with how many Pokémon they have left," Jake reminded, "And also, Sonic still has Primarina. I'm at the edge of my seat just watching this!"

This time, Bagon was the one who got up. He ran up to Sonic, but tripped a couple times along the way, as he was still extremely hurt from the match.

"Bagon, c-calm down. You need to rest, okay?" Sonic yelped as he picks Bagon up. The small Pokémon could only wriggle in Sonic's grasp before unexpectedly calming down.

"Don't worry, I'll heal you and the others up when the battle is over." Sonic insisted.

"Bay..." Bagon sighed as he was being returned. Soon, Sonic looked back at me. We smirked at each other.

"Hopefully, Bagon will get way stronger." Sonic told me.

"Oh, believe me. I know." I chuckled.

"Now it's time for our battle to continue! Primarina, you're back in!" Sonic shouted, sending out his next Pokémon.

And there we go. Primarina is back in, and she's ready to take her turn in the spotlight. She does a little twirl as she stands upright.

This is a bad matchup for Rhydon, especially since this weakness is... inevitable. But I couldn't switch out since I didn't do it beforehand.

Eh, it's now or never. I might as well try, like I do with... basically anything.

"Primarina, use Sparkling Aria; here we go!" Sonic shouted. Still in the same upright position, Primarina starts the same Water attack like she did before.

Oh crap. Avoiding that is gonna be a pain, since Rhydon's main weakness in terms of stats is how slow he is.

I had to think of something that seemed defensive. Something that'll at least prevent too much of those attacks from hurting Rhydon too much.

"Oh, Rhydon! Bulldoze!" I exclaimed abruptly. Rhydon nods, and then he makes the ground shake.

The water explosions from Primarina's Sparkling Aria took place, and a couple of them landed on Rhydon head on. Luckily, that didn't mean Primarina was safe from any incoming attacks though.

The Bulldoze managed to make her trip as soon as her attack was done. Aha! This could be it! Time to attack while Primarina is vulnerable.

"Rhydon, quick! Use Smack Down!" I yelped. Another rock forms on the palms of Rhydon's hands. Then he unleashes the energy-filled rock right at Primarina.

The moment she got up to recover from the Bulldoze, the next thing was was met with was a Smack Down landed right on her.

Primarina wasn't too hurt by the Smack Down. It did a little below decent damage, if I were to assume? I highly doubt that this wouldn't last long...

"Well, let's go physical attacking, Rhydon, use Stomp!" I yelled. Rhydon charges towards Primarina, and gets ready to land a big stomp.

"Primarina, Moonblast!" Sonic commanded. And Primarina charges up her new attack. With energy from the moon, she shoots the Fairy attack right at the falling Rhydon.

The Moonblast ended up knocking him forward more than anything. At least it wasn't a Water type attack. Else Rhydon would be weakened by a long shot.

"I guess we'll just try a risk reward. Rhydon, use Bulldoze again!" I shouted. Rhydon once again causes another Bulldoze. The ground was shaking like before, but there was no difference in this one compared to the last one.

"Uh oh! Primarina, dodge it with Aqua Jet!" Sonic cried. Primarina sings a high mote, and then surrounds herself with a torrent, and then jets upwards to avoid he shaking ground.

When the Bulldoze was finally over, Primarina took this opportunity to hit Rhydon with a powerful impact of Aqua Jet.

"Hammer Arm!" I exclaimed. When Primarina inches a tiny bit closer, Rhydon charges up a Hammer Arm, and slams down on the ground, causing a loud thud, and a shudder from the audience.

It made Primarina stop her attack, since it didn't directly land on her, so that's about as much as I would expect.

"Land back down and then use Icy Wind!" Sonic yelled. Primarina lands on her tail, and then she blows a powerful gust of cold wind right at Rhydon.

Ooh, uh... there's no way. Nothing could really get rid of the wind at this rate.

"Smack Down!" I said so suddenly. And with that, Rhydon attempts to land another move on Primarina while she is still so far away.

The Smack Down... landed? Uh... I don't see Primarina through the smoke leftover from the collision.

When it cleared up, I see that Primarina isn't there. What... just happened?

"Now, Primarina! Aqua Jet!" I heard Sonic's voice. Crap, at the last second, I knew it was too late.

Primarina approached Rhydon from behind, and then lands a big Aqua Jet right on him. Rhydon groans upon getting hit by one of his biggest weaknesses, and he falls backwards as soon as it was finally over.

Rhydon fainted. Due to a Water type move, it seemed like all of us knew this was coming.

"Whoa! Primarina won two in a row!" Jake yelped in surprise.

"This... this match is intense. Against two of what seems to be... the strongest opponents we ever fought." Tess said, utterly shocked to the point she was speechless.

"Now Nifty and Sonic are even again!" Rotom yelped.

Back with me, I show a small smile.

"You did really great out there, Rhydon. Don't worry, these next matchups will decide it all." I said quietly, then I return the fainted Pokémon back.

Welp, I have three more left that are able to battle. And so does Sonic. Man, I can't wait to see how intense these next battles could be!

This time, I grab a normal Poke Ball. All of them don't do well against Primarina except for one of them... by a margin.

"The battle's getting tight now! Help us out, Nidoking!" I called out, sending out my next Pokémon. Nidoking glares at Primarina, then roars, ready for a big fight.

I would expect Primarina to get a big advantage due to Nidoking being part Ground type, but he does have an advantage as well against Primarina's Fairy type, with the poison.

But time will tell who'll get the upper hand...

"May be risky, but I am in the mood for some offense! Nidoking, use Horn Attack!" I commanded. Nidoking growls as his horn grows bigger, then he proceeds to run into Primarina with his big, pointy horn.

"Aqua Jet! Go!" Sonic shouted. Primarina surrounds herself with the water again, and uses all of that to charge right into Nidoking.

For some reason, and as if neither of us expected... the only thing Primarina manages to collide with is Nidoking's horn because he was also attacking.

Nidoking wasn't left untouched, however. He did deal with a Water type move, so he was forced to take some of the aftereffects of the Aqua Jet.

"Rrgh... We gotta find a way to pass through these attacks..." I grumbled, clenching my fists. I had plenty of time to think, as this matchup just started.

But this strategy had to be carried out cautiously, else the fate I am doomed to think about would execute.

"Sparkling Aria!" Sonic exclaimed. That was definitely not a good sign for Nidoking. It just already tells me that he may be going down shortly.

Nidoking's eyes widen as some of the water drops from the Sparkling Aria made its way towards him.

The first two small explosions landed on Nidoking, but then he tried to avoid the rest of them. Some of them he did avoid, but some others still got him.

After the Sparkling Aria ended, Nidoking falls to the ground on his belly as Primarina looks at him, waiting if he's going to get up.

"Oh Arceus! Hey, Nidoking! You still got this?" I asked.

"Nido!" The Poison Pin Pokémon yelps as he opens his eyes, then stands on his two legs again. His large tail sways around as he turns back towards Primarina.

"Pri, Primarina!" She called. Nidoking stomps his foot down, ready for a challenge. This caused Primarina to get into a battle stance.

Meanwhile, Sonic and I smirk at each other. None of us knew what next moves we were going to use next, but I know I had an idea of what to do.

"Okay, Nidoking! Horn Attack one more time!" I shouted. Like the first turn, Nidoking starts to run to Primarina with his huge, powerful horn on again.

"Aqua Jet!" I heard Sonic say. Heh, I knew that was coming up. Might as well get an early start on the next move before it's too late.

I waited until Primarina and Nidoking were only a few inches apart. Any moment now, they'd just do the same thing that happened last time. I can't risk Nidoking getting hit by another Aqua Jet, or even a direct hit from said Aqua Jet.

Which is worse.

"Now! Sidestep and use Earth Power!" I continued. Before Nidoking could get hit by the Aqua Jet, he jumps out of the way and stops his Horn Attack from continuing.

Nidoking hops a tiny bit, and when he stomps back on the ground, small powerful quakes formed in a straight line.

Primarina was already hopping out of her Aqua Jet stance, but then she was met with the Earth Power, which launched her into the air.

"RINA!" She cried out.

"Quick! Primarina, use Moonblast!" Sonic exclaimed. Primarina charges up her next attack. Sure, it was only a Fairy type move, but I had to make sure this can be prevented.

"Oh no. No, no, no. Nidoking, prevent it. Use Poison Sting." I snickered. After receiving another growl from Nidoking, a small, yet powerful sting was shot from his huge horn.

Primarina stared in shock as she saw the Poison Sting inch closer, so, as a quick instinct, she unleashes the Moonblast at Nidoking for a price of getting hit by the sting.

Nidoking only looks at the incoming Moonblast. But, of course, he resists those kind of moves, so he only stood there when the Fairy type move lands.

...

It was a direct hit, but Nidoking only lets out a mighty snarl as he raises his fists up, taking the attack so easily. We look over at Primarina, and we saw... she didn't look too good.

She was on the ground, struggling to get it. But it wasn't just that. There was a purple tint on her forehead, and there were small dark purple bubbles forming in the air before disappearing a millisecond later.

Nidoking poisoned her. Holy Arceus, this gives me an advantage here.

"Primarina!" Sonic cried.

"Alright, while we're still at it, Nidoking, what do you say we go through the finishing touches?" I questioned, smirking at my Pokémon.

"Ni, Nido!" The Poison Pin smiles at me and lets out a shout of approval.

"Perfect! Run up and use Double Kick!" I chuckled. Nidoking stomps towards the weakened Primarina. She coughs a bit and tries to stand up, taking as much poison damage as she can.

"Don't give up yet, Primarina! Blow him away with Icy Wind!" Sonic shouted. Primarina does so, and this only managed to stop Nidoking's attack.

He blocked it with his arms, but he yelps and stumbles backwards when he felt his arms becoming more cold, as if they were turning into ice.

"Sparkling Aria!" Sonic yelled in a worried tone. As another attempt to protect herself, Primarina prepares the powerful Water attack.

"Keep goin, Nidoking! Double Kick again!" I exclaimed. Luckily, Nidoking easily went up to try and land his attack.

Some of the water bubbles from the Sparkling Aria exploded, but some of them went away because Primarina grunts and stumbles due to the poison.

Nidoking managed to evade all of them since they were much more weaker than usual, then he lands his Double Kick, smashing Primarina to the wall.

"Finish this, Nidoking! One more Horn Attack!" I screamed. And with that, Primarina could only open her eyes and squirm as she saw Nidoking getting closer and closer to his last move.

BOOM!

Nidoking backs up to clear the way so Sonic and I can find out what's going on. And just as we expected, it's obvious at this point.

The Horn Attack made Primarina faint. One powerful Normal type attack... managed to finish her off.

"Whoa! It lookzzz like Nifty izzz catching up in termzzz of thizzz battle!" Rotom yelled.

"These battles are sure getting more intense by the minute..." Tess said.

Back with Sonic and I, Sonic still managed to keep a small smile. Sure, he was losing so far in these numbers again, but we're still having tons of fun with this.

You know, this could count as training for the Gym. Sonic and I just battling together... especially in Anthian City, this new place that we fell in love with instantly.

Never thought I would see the end of it, honestly.

Now that I'm really thinking about it... Sonic managed to switch out Primarina one time, so I think this would be my perfect opportunity to switch as well, just to be on the safe side.

"Okay, Nidoking, return." I said. Nidoking growls in understanding, then I pull out my Poke Ball and return him back into it.

"Huh? Nifty, you're switching out, too?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah. You did it, so I thought it would be fair if I did it as well just to change up the strategy." I stated.

"Well, I hope your calls were worth it, Nifty." Sonic giggled.

"I guarantee that it will be." I chuckled along with him. Sonic was only two Pokémon down, so this is when I'll start to get even more serious here.

Now, it may seem risky with who Sonic may send out next, and along with who I choose as well; definitely.

I grab another Poke Ball, clenching it in my hand, ready to throw it upwards once Sonic was ready as well.

Sonic shows me a determined smile once he was ready to continue the battle with his next Pokémon. I nod, giving him the signal that I was ready. Sonic nods back.

We hold out our Poke Balls in front of us. We wait a few more seconds, getting anticipated mumbles from some of the audience members who seem to be watching us.

Soon, Sonic and I throw the balls up in the air, shouting our Pokémon's names in unison as we do so.

"Charizard, you're up!"

"Go, Lycanroc!"

My Charizard pops out of he ball and flies around before landing back down near me, roaring. Sonic's Lycanroc stood in a battle-like position, growling.

Yep. I can already tell this is not gonna turn out well for me. The only good thing about this is that Charizard has Metal Claw, which would work excellently against Lycanroc. As for the cons...

Rock. Simply rock. If Charizard gets hit by one or two of those moves (preferably one), he's as good as done, which'll give an easier win for Lycanroc.

But I already switched out Nidoking to bring Charizard forth, so I couldn't do another switch-up. That would just prove to be unfair and uncalled for.

Then again, I'm pretty sure it's a major battle rule...

So, I just gotta worry about Rock type moves, and focus on Charizard's majestic flying, and powerful attacks he can land in desire of doing so.

"Lycanroc! Use Accelerock!" Sonic shouted. Lycanroc howls as he looks up to the ceiling, then he surrounds himself with the rocky energy as he rushes towards Charizard.

"Up in the air, Charizard!" I warned. Luckily, he manages to catch my attention, so he flaps his wings once, and manages to start flying before Lycanroc can hit him.

But my heart almost jumped out of my body when I realized that Lycanroc tried to jump up to try and catch Charizard high up.

"Great work, Charizard!" I complimented, "Now, while still far away, hit 'em with a Flame Burst!"

Charizard turns around, facing Lycanroc before he could even realize it. Then Charizard unleashes a small, but powerful flame ball from his mouth.

"Dodge it!" Sonic yelped. The flame hits the ground since Lycanroc jumped out of the way. A tiny explosion occurs after the impact from said flame.

This really requires some strategic thinking. Especially for moments like these. I'm gonna let Charizard go for a physical attack just to see what happens.

"Use Metal Claw!" I yelled. Charizard's claws turned a metallic gray, and he charges to Lycanroc, ready to slash him to oblivion.

"Counter it!" Sonic shouted. As soon as Charizard raises his arm to slash down, the second it lands, Lycanroc raises his own paw to Counter.

Well, crap.

Charizard gets knocked back as a result of how strong the counter was, but luckily, he got back into flying again before he hits the wall.

I quietly sigh in relief, thankful he didn't get too injured from hitting any of the property here.

"Charizard, hang in there!" I called out. The draconian Pokémon looks at my, and he lets out a low growl as he nods.

"Alright, let's see if we can prevail in this for as long as we can!" I exclaimed.

"Lycanroc, use Rock Slide!" Sonic yelled. Lycanroc's eyes turned a bright red, and he howls even louder than the previous time.

These rocks were a little smaller than what Rhydon has, but the problem is that there were much more of the rock, which makes it seem harder for anyone to avoid.

Welp, wouldn't wanna be getting hit by any of those!

"Fly away from them!" I yelped. As the rocks began to pour, Charizard immediately starts maneuvering every single one of them.

My Arceus, I am shocked by the sight in front of me at the moment. I was shocked at how the heck Charizard managed to avoid all of those rocks untouched.

This may give me something to work with later on, if I'm careful enough.

"Okay, let's try a distraction again. Flame Burst one more time!" I commanded. Once again, Charizard lets out the next attempt of his Fire type attack.

"Jump!" Sonic exclaimed. Lycanroc did so, and he gets out of the way.

"Now use Air Slash!" I continued. Charizard lands back down, then his wings charge up with specific energy, then he unleashes the wide, sharp bands at his opponent.

Lycanroc got back down on the ground, landing on all fours. He gasped quietly at the Air Slash, and couldn't be able to dodge it in time.

However, Lycanroc easily took the attack, as those sharp bands merely tickled him. I didn't even see a scratch mark or anything like that.

Well, for a move that's resistant, that would be enough proof.

"You okay, Lycanroc?" Sonic question.

"Roc, Lycanroc!" The wolf Pokémon yaps as a result.

"Awesome! Now, go for another Rock Slide!" Sonic exclaimed. Uh oh, here comes another one of these. After Lycanroc's next howl, the waterfall of rocks began to stream down again.

Were they... moving a little faster than usual? Or am I just seeing things?

...

I'm definitely hallucinating.

"Charizard, fly up in the air and start dodging them again!" I warned. I hope that Charizard can pull off another one of those epic dodges like before.

I looked at the whole battlefield, watching upwards to see Charizard flying away from every single rock that was rocketing down at an alarming rate.

Unfortunately, two in a row is rare to perform, and as I feared, Charizard got knocked downward by one rock, and was still going.

Uh oh! On the bright side, I can see Charizard's flaming tail, near the rock that was pulling him down. So I may have an idea.

"Charizard! Use your tail!" I screamed. The Flame Pokémon looks up to see another rock raining down, so as I told him to, he knocks the one rock forward with the other before he hits the floor.

The two rocks collided, and both fell down.

"Now, hit them back with Dragon Claw!" I continued. Waiting a few seconds, Charizard flies up a tiny bit to meet up with the rocks, then slashes at them with his own sharp claws.

"Break through with Accelerock!" Sonic exclaimed. Before I could react, I could see both of the rocks easily broken in half thanks to Lycanroc's attack.

Wow. This... I guess just surprised me more than it should've.

After that amazing feat, I looked over at my second starter, and he roars so loudly, that everyone within a 50 mile radius could end up hearing it.

Then, the next thing I know, I see Charizard shoot out another fire attack. But this time, instead of a ball of fire, it was a stream of fire.

Lycanroc was shocked to see what just happened. Even Sonic and I shared the same expression. Because Lycanroc was still shaking off breaking the boulders, the fire stream ended up hitting him, and pushing him backwards.

"Whoa! Another Fire type move?" Jake yelped.

"That was Flamethrower! Itzzz even more powerful than Flame Burst, bzzt!" Rotom reminded.

Wow, so Charizard managed to learn Flamethrower during the course of this fight. Whew, I think I have a good feeling about this.

"Lycanroc! Run up and use Thrash!" Sonic yelled. Lycanroc starts running towards Charizard while he was still on the ground.

When the orange wolf was finally up, he starts punching and kicking, resulting in a wild thrash that I couldn't see from this far away.

"Push him away with Metal Claw!" I shouted. Luckily, Charizard gets out of the Thrash by using one of his best claw moves.

Lycanroc kneels down, but he gets back up within a couple seconds, indicating that one Metal Claw won't be enough to be more weakened, despite being super effective against Rock types.

"Rock Slide, Lycanroc!" Sonic exclaimed. After another howl, the rock monsoon came back once again.

"Use Flamethrower as you fly around, Charizard!" I reminded. Heh, I think this will turn out pretty well now that a new move is in use.

Charizard was avoiding all those rocks again to the best of his ability, but this time, when he was in a good spot, he unleashed Flamethrower as he continued to fly away.

But this time, Lycanroc seemed to be aware of it, as he jumps out of the way of the stream.

"Accelerock!" Sonic yelled. The Wolf Pokémon got in a good spot after avoiding the Flamethrower, then he proceeds to use his fast move right on Charizard.

The draconian Pokémon was knocked to one of the walls, but the crack caused by it went away as soon as Charizard left it, like it was some kind of battle-safe wall.

That's cool. I do like this place, without a doubt.

Charizard and Lycanroc were now close to each other again, like they were going to deal some final blow.

"Dragon Claw!" I shrieked. Still flying about, Charizard raises one of his claws, ready to slash the hardest he can.

"Counter!" Sonic yelled. And when Charized landed down, Lycanroc landed his most brutal Counter yet.

And since both of them were in the air for this moment, Charizard was falling down, until he lands on the middle of the battlefield, a loud thud being heard.

Looking over there, I can see Charizard with the swirly eyes. Dang. He fainted from the Counter. I'll really have to look into good ways for looking out for that.

And maybe trying to read if I were to experience this again, finding ways to read when my opponent would wait to counter, or unleash it immediately.

"*gasp* Oh my goodness." Tess said in shock.

"Mana, Manaphy!" Manaphy chimed in, also sharing a mixed feeling of susprise and happiness.

"Both of them are even again! Bzzt! How izzz thizzz even pozzible?!" Rotom screeched.

"*sigh* I won't lie... this was completely epic. My heart is still racing after that." I mumbled, showing off a big grin. Then I return my fainted Charizard back.

As I put Charizard's Poke Ball back, I reach into my bag and grab something. It turns out to be the Charizardite Y.

"Hmm, the people at the Stone Shop did say this Mega Stone unlocks endless capabilities," I thought, "Can't wait to see what hidden potential that this thing holds."

I put the Mega Stone back into my bag, then I zipper it back up just to be on the safe side.

I cannot give up here. I look down at myself, looking at the Team Valor logo on my shirt, and then noting towards my necklace. I close my eyes for a few seconds.

Man, the two of us have come so far...

Finally, my confident expression is back as my usual look. It's time this battle gets even better by the minute.

If there's one thing I do know, it's that both Greninja and Nidoking have a good advantage against Lycanroc. Either way I go, this'll turn out well for me.

But I quickly decided as I pulled out another Poke Ball.

"The battle's getting tight now! You're up next, Greninja!" I shouted, sending out my next Pokémon.

My other starter, standing in a stealthy ninja-like position, looks over at Lycanroc, ready to battle hard.

While the Pokémon glare, Sonic and I looked back with our serious, yet determined looks on our faces.

I can tell, this battle is going to end soon if one of us makes correct decisions during the strategic thinking that we all have to do in these Pokémon battles.

But enough talk, it won't do much. Here goes!

"Greninja, use Water Shuriken!" I exclaimed. Leaping into the air, Greninja holds his arms out, and tiny water-made ninja stars formed in his hands. Then he throws them at Lycanroc.

"Lycanroc! Dodge it, and then use Accelerock!" Sonic shouted. The first two stars ended up hitting the ground, while the last one is aimed for a direct hit.

As I expected from hearing that command, that last star didn't end up hitting. And instead, after Lycanroc avoids it, he begins to counter with his own attack.

"Quick Attack!" I yelled. Greninja manages to get away from the Accelerock at the last second thanks to Quick Attack. Geez, this looks way to fast, even I almost can't comprehend what's gonna happen next.

"Use Rock Slide!" Sonic continued. Lycanroc gets into a steady position, then his eyes glow bright red as he starts the Rock Slide.

As the rocks were raining down, Greninja was still avoiding every single one of them because he was still running around in Quick Attack.

When the Rock Slide ended, so did Quick Attack. This is the chance to unleash another move.

"Hit 'em with a Night Slash!" I demanded. Running around at an unexpected pace, Greninja steadily approaches Lycanroc to land the Night Slash.

"Counter!" Sonic yelped. Like the previous Physical moves, Lycanroc counters Greninja's Night Slash and pushes him backwards.

Greninja easily got up after he hit the floor, however. Yes! Still in even after a powerful counter!

"Greninja, use Water Shruiken again!" I called out. This time, Greninja didn't leap up as he started his signature attack, so he throws four water stars all at once, hoping that one of them would hit.

"Lycanroc, use Accelerock to break through them!" Sonic exclaimed. This was quite a surprising attempt, but somehow, the Water Shuriken dissolved from Lycanroc's Accelerock.

However, one thing I quickly noted was the fact that the Accelerock ended as soon as all four of the ninja stars have been dissolved. This... could possibly work out.

"Great! Now, use Thrash!" Sonic continues.

"Greninja, block it with Night Slash!" I warned. And the two Pokémon came close to the middle of the battlefield. Lycanroc was thrashing about, but Greninja was trying his best to block every single punch and kick with Night Slash.

Now, for the most part... it worked. But a couple managed to get Greninja on his knees. Fortunately, he was still ready for this battle, and is far from giving up.

The whole prevail battle was still going on, and eventually, one of them was going to get the upper hand. However, I think it's safe to retreat.

"Jump up!" I yelped. After blocking one more kick with Night Slash, Greninja retreats his attack and leaps back up, where Lycanroc was stumbling around. The fatigue was getting to him.

Now, to finish off.

"Greninja, finish him off with Scald!" I screamed. And with my command, Greninja shoots out a powerful stream of hot water right at Lycanroc.

The orange wolf could only slightly look at the incoming attack in shock before it landed directly on him.

All of us look over, and we see that Lycanroc fainted after he got hit by the Scald.

My heart was beating fast. More than usual. Perhaps maybe it's this Battle Bond ability once again? Or I'm just anticipated that I might have a chance...

"Oh no," Jake cried, "Sonic only has one more Pokémon left, compared to Nifty, who has two."

"It's possible Sonic could make a comeback..." Tess said quietly. Rotom stays silent, and Manaphy was cheering the two of us on.

Sonic shows a small smile as he returns his fainted Lycanroc back.

"Thanks, Lycanroc. You did wonderful out there." He complimented. Then he puts Lycanroc's Poke Ball back, and brings out another one.

Before I could respond, Sonic decided to speak up.

"Guess we're about to re-live memories from our previous battle, huh?" He teased.

"Yeah. Eeeeeeeven though it was a 1v1." I chuckled. Sonic just nods, then he shows a determined look again as he gets ready to send out his last Pokémon, which I already know who is coming out next.

"It's up to you now, Chesnaught!" Sonic screeched, throwing his Poke Ball upwards. The Spiny Armor Pokémon stomps on the ground, and roars, raising his fists up in the air.

My heartbeat started to get faster. I put my hand on my chest, feeling something that's like... high-nuclear energy.

"Hey, Greninja. You feel that?" I asked.

"Gren, Greninja." The Ninja Pokémon says in a battle-ready position, swirling his tongue scarf around.

"Yes... yes! It's getting stronger!" I ended up yelling. Greninja's eyes glow a brighter red, signaling that the ability is about to take place.

"Alright, Greninja! All together now! Full power! GO!" I screeched. The two of us put our hands in the air as our bond continued to grow stronger.

Soon enough, my own vision began to blur, and I started seeing through Greninja's point of view again. The first thing I saw was that water geyser I always see when this ability starts.

Then, after a few more second, Greninja maintains his more powerful form, and though looking around, I can easily tell I could find the giant Water Shuriken on his back.

Also, I could hear a bunch of shocked noises and murmurs from the audience. They were enthusiastic, but confused on what they were seeing in their own eyes right now.

However, Sonic was actually completely excited. Because the fact that Greninja and Chesnaught were gonna be fighting again after that one time in Rosecove Beach, even I'm anticipated to see what happens.

Now that I am more experienced in this now thanks to getting some tips from that sketchy man, this may be a good try for the two of us.

"Greninja, use Quick Attack!" I started. A small while outline formed around Greninja, and he started running towards Chesnaught, and this time, it was even faster than usual, to the point I felt a little bit nauseous trying to keep up.

"Chesnaught, turn around and use Spiky Shield!" Sonic shouted. With a growl as an affirmative answer, Chesnaught turns around to where his back was in front of Greninja.

Then a bunch of tiny, yet pointy spikes formed. When Greninja got close to try and attack, the spikes ended up hitting him. I could feel that.

I only winced and closed my left eye. I had to remember what the man told me, that I have to control this power and the aftermath of everything that Greninja gets hit by.

"Alright, so far, so good, I guess." I mumbled, immediately seeing Chesnaught again through Greninja's eyes.

"Chesnaught, use Pin Missile!" Sonic exclaimed. With an angry roar, Chesnaught unleashes powerful needles from the huge spikes on his back.

"Get rid of them with Water Shuriken!" I yelled. The stars that Greninja brung out were much bigger than in his regular form. He aimed those three at each of the individual missiles.

Surprisingly, the Water Shruiken surpassed each of them, but they managed to dissolve as well, which was just about meeting my expectations for this counter.

I closed my eyes. I remember another tip saying that I had to mentally communicate when to strike.

Well... in the world of Pokémon battles, thinking like this is a necessity. We can't give up here, no matter what it takes. Especially since Chesnaught has the type advantage.

On this dual type matchup, if you know what I'm saying.

"Okay, Greninja! Use Scald!" I commanded. Greninja gives a nod to me, then he shoots out the powerful hot water stream.

I saw Chesnaught's shocked expression, then he proceeds to try and block it with his huge spiky arm.

"Chesnaught, Needle Arm!" Sonic exclaimed. While still blocking it, the Spiny Armor Pokémon formed grassy needles onto the arm he was blocking Scald with.

Arm still held out, he ran towards Greninja. Ooh, the Needle Arm block will give me so much time to think, as the Scald is making Chesnaught slower.

"End the Scald and follow up with Quick Attack!" I continued. As soon as Chesnaught grew closer, Greninja stops Scald, and proceeds to avoid the Needle Arm.

Chesnaught yelps as he was suddenly hit from the side. Greninja's Quick Attack landed. But this was but a mere distraction, not anything too big.

I'll have to be lucky to try and land any good moves.

"Chesnaught, use Seed Bomb!" Sonic yelled. Chesnaught huddles down, and then roars even louder, unleashing a bunch of round Seed Bombs.

"Run between them and use Night Slash!" I shouted. Greninja starts running towards Chesnaught, avoiding all of the Seed Bombs.

Even with Greninja's increased speed in this form, I'm still shocked he avoided all of those Seed Bombs. I couldn't even tell at first until I can feel Greninja leap upwards to land an attack.

"Needle Arm again!" Sonic yelped. Since both Night Slash and Needle Arm require their arm muscles, they two began to fight to try and prevail over one another.

But it was bad for me. Chesnaught was the one who got over Greninja, and pushes the ninja frog back. I felt that pain badly, but I prevented myself from falling over, either on one or both knees.

Ergh... this kinda reminds me of what happened in that 1v1. Things gotta change eventually, I know that much. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of change.

"I gotta think of something, and fast." I mumbled. Greninja's knees wobble for a second before he stays balanced as he stands up again.

It was then that all of us were in a glaring contest again. Greninja and Chesnaught were smirking at each other, kinda like what we humans do when teasing each other at times.

Sonic and I do the same. But this time, I left myself with closing my eyes and thinking about different opportunities I can go for. Some good, some bad. What matters is how it's carried out.

Finally, my eyes open up again, and I am ready to go back into the battle.

"Greninja. Go for another Water Shuriken." I said. Once again, I can feel myself as if I was up in the air, thanks to Greninja jumping up again.

More powerful water stars were thrown from Greninja's hands. Chesnaught puts his arm over his face to try and block anything too direct.

"Not this time! Chesnaught, Pin Missile!" Sonic exclaimed. The missiles from Chesnaught's back were launched out again.

"Ha ha! Greninja! Back on the ground, and start running!" I laughed. Even though Greninja was a few feet in the air, he safely lands on his two feet, and then starts running from every single Pin Missile coming his way.

"Uh oh! Okay, Chesnaught, use Seed Bomb now!" Sonic shouted.

"Scald!" I said almost immediately. When the Seed Bombs were once again coming forward again, this time, it was being countered by Scald.

None of them surpassed each other this time; it was basically even.

"Great job!" I complimented, "But be aware of what's coming next, Greninja! Quick Attack!"

Another Quick Attack starts.

"Protect yourself with Spiky Shield!" Sonic yelled. Just like before, Spiky Shield was formed on Chesnaught's back. I had a sudden realization.

Though it may prove to be risky that I might regret.

"Greninja, quick! Use your feet to bounce off against the spikes!" I reminded. Still in the Quick Attack position, Greninja gets into a dart position where his feet face the Spiky Shield.

When the shield was hit, Greninja was launched upwards, and he croaks in pain as he was slowly falling back down.

"Seed Bomb!" Sonic exclaimed. Uh oh, maybe this was risky after all. The Seed Bombs were getting closer to Greninja by the second.

"Rocket downwards! Then use a powerful Water Shuriken!" I screeched. Luckily, Greninja manages to fall safely back down away from the Seed Bomb. My heart is racing.

Then, he next thing I know, Greninja grabs the giant Water Shuriken from his back, then makes it grow even bigger with more of the tiny shurikens.

This one was orange, and looked GIANT! Kinda like what happened when I battled Kevin at Route 9. Greninja throws the giant star at Chesnaught.

Since the Spiny Armor Pokémon was still recovering from the Seed Bomb he tried to go for, he could only growl in surprise as it grew closer to hitting him.

BOOM!

A bigger explosion is made, resulting in the largest smoke cloud for this whole battle. And by whole battle, I mean the whole freaking thing.

Greninja is back on the ground, and he stumbled a bit, feeling weakened from the attacks Chesnaught landed on him. I couldn't help but grunt from the pain. The effects were finally taking place, just like how it was mentioned before.

Oh, and speaking of Chesnaught earlier, when the smoke cleared up, we were shocked to see that Chesnaught fainted.

"Bzzt! It's over! I-Itzzz finally over!" Rotom yelped, "Greninja hazzz taken down Chesnaught in an intense fight! Thizzz means... Nifty winzzz the battle!"

Jake, Tess and Manaphy shared a surprised reaction. They all didn't even know what to do, or what to say.

I was speechless. I couldn't move, nor talk. Greninja turns back to his normal form, and I could see through my own eyes again.

"I... I won. I actually won." I said in utter shock. Sure, I did win against Sonic back at Gale Forest, but that was back when we barely had our whole team. This... is a full, amazing battle.

"Ninja." I heard Greninja's voice. I looked over at my Pokémon, and he nods at me. Finally, I mustered enough energy to satisfy myself with a smile.

"We did it! Amazing job, Greninja!" I cheered as I walked up to him. I offered a fist bump, and the Ninja Pokémon accepts it.

"We'll definitely celebrate, with all of us together, including our friends," I offered, "But for now, rest up. You used a lot of energy during that Battle Bond."

I return Greninja back to his Poke Ball, and I receive an understanding noise from him before he was put back. I put the ball back in my pocket, and I look back at Sonic.

Sonic was petting Chesnaught's back, thanking him.

"Thank you, Chesnaught. I'll heal you and the rest soon enough. Good job on the battle." He commented, then returns him, getting a weak growl as a result.

Sonic then looks back at me as soon as Chesnaught was put back. We walk up to each other till we came across the middle again.

I offered a handshake, and Sonic quickly accepted it. We exchanged happy glances, and nodded.

"Great battle, Sonic. Good Arceus, though, you didn't let up. All of your Pokémon were amazing." I complimented.

"Thanks, Nifty," Sonic replied, "And you did good as well. You're getting really better with everyone. Even your Battle Bond with Greninja. It must be getting stronger!"

"Heh heh, yep. We're going places, alright. All five of us." I chuckled, getting a nod from Sonic as he knew who I was talking about.

"Nifty! Sonic!" Speaking of which, I heard Jake call out to us. We look to the right, looking at the cheering audience, and through the crowd...

We see Jake, Tess and Rotom approaching us.

"MANA!" Manaphy cheers as it jumps out of Tess's arms, and into Sonic's. Sonic easily caught the Mythical, hugging it gently. Manaphy snuggles back upon the contact.

"That battle was amazing, right, Manaphy?" Sonic questioned.

"Phy, Manaphy!" The Water type Pokémon said happily.

"Nifty... oh my Arceus, you and Sonic had... probably the most heart-pouding battle I've ever seen!" Tess ranted, "Neither of you called in quits! You two just kept going and going!"

"Bzzzzzt! I put in azzz much data pozzible! Your friendship and bonding power... it keeps going up!" Rotom chimed in.

"Oh yeah, definitely." I said, placing my hands on my hips.

"So, what shall we do now?" Sonic asked, as Manaphy smiles at all of us, being held in his arms.

"Well, let's heal up and maybe check out whatever is around here," I explained, "Then maybe we can head back to the room for a bit. Or we can head over to one of the higher floors! The lady at the counter did mention we can watch the stars at night there!"

"Yeah! We should do that!" Jake cheered.

"I agree!" Tess added. I looked at Jake, and he blushes and grins as he heard Tess's response. I hid a smirk. Ship. Definite ship.

"Well, you guys go ahead to the built-in Pokémon Center. I'll meet up with you." I insistd.

"Okay, Nifty." Sonic responded, then he leads the way to the healing center in the Battle Arena.

I reach into my bag, and I pull out my sketchbook. I turn a couple pages to see a specific drawing that I made.

Then I looked down at my clothing to notice the Bronze Brick wrapped around my neck. I smiled as I twirled it in my hand for a bit.

Then I stopped and left it alone. My parents gave this to me, after all, and I had to keep it safe. But this drawing I made... it's the perfect opportunity to become a whole group to end Team Eclipse's career.

Not like they had one in the first place...

But for now, enjoying this time with my friends and my Pokémon is just enough. Anthian City is making that bonding grow.

I like that.

---

A/N: And there we go, new record for number of words in one chapter! XD

I deeply apologize for the long delay. I was procrastinating that I wasn't too motivated as much. But I'll try to set up a schedule so I don't get too stressed out over this and everything else I do in life. :/

But anyways, that's it for now. I hope you all have a great day! I will see you all next time for more Admin Story! :D